Wolf Hart
by lizzy74656
Summary: Janeway feels crew are against her on finding Planet Paradise. Will they stay and what do they discover? CHAPTER 8..includes scene that got this story started. Final chapter added, and completed. Have altered the ending of Epilogue.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: STVOY is not mine. TPTB own them. Story mine

**Wolf Hart**

_White deer are not albino. Their colouring is caused by leucism, a rare genetic condition that reduces the pigment of an animal's hair and skin. Unlike albinos with their distinctive pink eyes, white deer's eyes are coloured normally._

Dreams can be powerful, especially those coupled with hope; a goal to aim for. Voyager's dream of hope is Earth – to reach 'home' in the Alpha Quadrant. It shone brightly now that they'd established regular contact with Starfleet via the Pathfinder project. For some the dream was an all consuming cold-fire of passion that had to be reached no matter what stood in their way. Thus the dream shone like a search light blinding the eye to everything else. For others it was a reminder of just how far they still had to travel, thus the end of the tunnel appeared no nearer than it had at the beginning of their journey. Others found the dream fading or loosing its lustre becoming tarnished with the general wear and tear of daily living; procuring supplies, seeking safe passage from both man-made and natural hazards through the uncharted region known as the Delta Quadrant

The Doctor was compiling his report – having completed a round of general medicals – which the crew detested at the best of times; but this one had been requested by Starfleet Medical in the latest rounds of communiqué's, to determine the effects of prolonged deep space travel on the crew. An emergency emission arrived in the form of Tom Paris – his reluctant, yet capable assistant – and Commander Chakotay – XO and unofficial ship's councillor. Initial scanner readings were not good news.

"We'll do a deeper scan, Mr. Paris. Please set it up. I have an important call to make," the EMH advised, returning to his office and called Astrometrics.

/\ Seven here. How may I be of assistance, Doctor?/\

"I need you to look for a planet suitable for the crew to take extended shore leave, ASAP."

"Have you cleared this with the Captain?"

"As CMO, Seven I do have discretion in this matter, along with the relevant authority. I'm sending you the search parameters, now," he said, the worried frown not leaving his holographic features.

/\ I'll see what I can discover for you, Doctor. I'd advise that you still inform the Captain. Seven out./\ signing off.

"I wish it were that easy," he muttered to himself, returning to his patient. The deeper scans only confirmed what they already knew, yet it would add more weight to the Doctor's quest to arrange for extended shore leave for the crew, ASAP. "Odd. I would have expected the Captain to have been here, demanding answers by now," he said, having made sure his patient was sleeping comfortably.

"She's assisting B'Elanna with some engineering repairs," Tom said, sighing worriedly and then added in answer to the EMH's unasked question. "She's also **trying** to persuade the Captain to land the ship so a proper overhaul of a number of maintenance issues can be sorted out safely. We have all the necessary materials; but it requires a space-dock or a land base to complete them."

"Mr. Paris; please give this to Commander. Tuvok. Work with Mr. Kim and Seven on this. She has the search parameter details. Find us a suitable planet and head for it. I'm using a little known medical law in this matter, Mr. Paris," he said, his tone very determined, handing over the prepared PADD. Tom nodded and left, PADD in hand.

/\ Doctor to Captain. Report to my office immediately. Doctor out. /\

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Down in engineering the female Captain sighed at the Doctor's summons. Torres working beside her pursed her lips and scowled at the woman; angry that things weren't going well in getting Janeway to agree to her urgent requests.

"I'll think about it, Lieutenant," she said finally, getting to her feet and dusting down her uniform as she left. B'Elanna Torres knew from the tone as well as the fact that the Captain had only used her rank and not her name, meant that was **all** Janeway would do, 'think about it.'

"Damn!" she exclaimed, throwing the nearest movable object she could lay her hands on. It clanged across the semi-silent floor, her staff shared her frustrations.

"Lieutenant; please take a break. We can manage," Gilmore gently encouraged. "Please; especially in view of your current medical condition," she added before Torres could snap at her and looking at the Chief engineer's swollen tummy. B'Elanna smiled ruefully.

"We'll call if there's anything you need to know."

"You'd better make sure you do, Crewman," she said, and then eased her heavy bulk out of the area and back to her quarters. Engineering whispered with soft sighs of relief mixed with sadness that their Captain had not agreed to their Chief's request to land the ship, so that a full maintenance overhaul could be scheduled; after all there was only so much one could do safely whilst on the move and in the vacuum of space.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Janeway arrived via the Med-lab, rather than main sickbay, so was unaware of the area's current occupant until the EMH brought him to her attention.

"Yes Doctor," she said with indifference.

"This crew is suffering from Space fatigue. Therefore we **must** take some extended shore leave away from the ship and space," pausing to gauge her reaction; she only looked at him mildly unconcerned. "How much more do **you** think this crew can take?" he asked, startling her with the intensity of his words.

"Doctor; we can't afford to stop now. We're so close."

"We can't afford not to," he countered. "I'm not asking you to stop making for home," he sighed at the grim line of her month. "Come with me," he urged leading her from his office to the main area and the one occupied bio-bed.

The person lying there was very familiar to her as he'd sat at her side on the bridge every day since their journey had begun. As she got closer he stirred sensing her presence, his sleep relaxed face frowned anxiously. She stopped a moment and then started forward again, but he became agitated. The Doctor motioned her away.

"Go back to my office, Captain. **Now!**" he ordered, trying to calm his disturbed patient. Hurt Janeway retreated. He'd never reacted like this before; it was almost as if he feared her. She waited wondering what could have caused this change in her friend.

"He's calm for now. To be honest, I recommend that you'd better keep your distance from him. At least until he recovers," the EMH said, when he rejoined her.

"Will he recover?"

"He might. At present he's suffering from acute exhaustion and chronic fatigue. As is the rest of this crew," looking through his office window at his sleeping patient.

"There is no one else here," she pointed out.

"No?" he questioned, turning on her; the intensity of his gaze unnerved her. "**He** is here." She frowned puzzled, not understanding what he meant. "Remember all those parties and other little events Mr. Neelix used to arrange, to boost the morale of the crew?" he asked; she nodded. "I once thought that any excuse for a party was Mr. Neelix's motto. I have learnt since that was not the case. He did it primarily to keep you happy; but who would be the first person he'd run his ideas past?"

"Commander Chakotay," her voice soft; still not fully comprehending what he was trying to get her see.

"Who would be the one to give endorsement to those parties, even if they required your approval?"

"Commander Chakotay," moving to look through the office window at the sleeping male, feeling her heart ache for him.

"The Commander has been this vessel's unofficial ship's councillor since your journey began. He is if you like the emotional barometer of this crew's health. I look after their physical and medical needs. Neelix looked after their morale and more or less their dietary needs." His begrudging tone brought a soft smile to her lips. "Whilst Commander Chakotay dealt with their emotional concerns as well as his usual duties as XO. But who looks after the councillor?" pausing to let that sink in. "This crew needs shore leave, extended shore leave and they needed it yesterday; including **you**, Captain."

"I'll look into it, Doctor," she said tiredly, having heard this argument from several department heads over the last few days; B'Elanna Torres being the latest. About to leave when the Doctor's next words halted her in her tracks.

"No **you** won't, Captain." She wondered if he'd realised that she'd had no intention of stopping for shore leave or anything else for that matter, even for a short time.

"As CMO I do have discretion in this matter. Therefore in the best medical interests of this crew and its Captain; I have ordered the bridge to search for a suitable haven to land the ship. And before you bark at me that I can not, you'd better read this," he informed her handing over a PADD headed Starfleet Medical. Whilst she read the little known protocol from a time before Starship's had an assigned Ship's Councillor, Seven contacted sickbay.

/\ Location of a suitable planet within the requested search parameters has been identified. Helm has set a course. At current warp speed we should reach orbit within the next 12hrs. /\

"Acknowledged, Seven. Please convey all relevant data to both myself and to the Captain's Ready Room. Doctor out."

Janeway said nothing, just returned the PADD and left. The EMH though reacted in a very human manner; he shuddered with relief that she had not countermanded his orders. One question remained; why had the Commander reacted adversely to Captain Janeway's presence?

"It is almost as if he is afraid of her or for her!" he whispered puzzled to his empty office; hearing the soft subtle changes in the ship's engines as they vibrated throughout the grey bulkheads.

On the bio-bed, Chakotay stirred worriedly in his sleep in response to those vibrations; wanting to feel free of that constant background noise, to feel still, really still. The drugs in his system fully kicked in allowing his body to physically rest, whilst his mind dreamed of racing with his spirit guide/nagual across the open prairies that rumbled; not with thunder across the wide open skies, but through the earth beneath his feet, painfully reminding him that he was in space aboard a starship – a vessel that was never still, never quiet or completely silent, even when at rest.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Bridge was very aware of the Captain's presence even though she just strode from the turbo-lift to her Ready Room without a word to anyone. Tuvok and Paris exchanged understanding looks with each other realising the Captain's mood didn't bode well for anyone, particularly the woman herself. After a moment the Vulcan stood.

"Hold fort and course, Mr. Paris."

"Aye, Sir," he acknowledged, knowing where the dark male was headed and that he was in charge from the helm. Kim watched the proceedings his young eyes worried feeling the lack of the commander's solid calm presence; but he knew from his Op's board that it was Commander. Chakotay who'd required the recent Medical Emergency transport from his office to sickbay. He hoped it wasn't anything too serious and that his gentle presence was back on the bridge very soon.

Tuvok stood quietly watching his friend and Captain listening to her ranting about how she felt that the crew was conspiring against her, preventing her from getting the ship and its crew home.

"Anyone would think I was asking the impossible. We've come so far to stop now…"

"Would be in the best long term interests of this crew's general health, so they can continue to operate at peak efficiency," he said calmly. "You came after me so you could benefit from my Vulcan wisdom. I am offering it to you now, Kathryn Janeway." The use of her name rather than her rank effectively stopped her in her tracks.

"You rarely call me that, Tuvok. Unless you have a good reason too," she noted, eyeing him wondering if she still really knew him. Her developing friendship with Commander Chakotay and lately overseeing Seven's integration into their family had overshadowed her longer friendship with this dark stoic male; Calm, solid, a pillar of strength and normality on an otherwise frantic bridge at times.

"I have good reason, Kathryn Janeway. The medical report from the Doctor," he said quietly, holding out the PADD Tom Paris had given him about an hour before. Slowly she walked toward him and took it. it was a copy of the EMH's orders and response from and to Starfleet Medical ; about the effects of unprepared long term space travel coupled with prolonged not direct contact with Starfleet and Earth.

"The star system we are heading for offers everything we require to repair this vessel and also this crew's 'flagging spirits'; I believe Mr. Neelix would call it."

"He'd be in his element," she reflected quietly with a soft smile. The Talaxian had only been gone a week and already she was missing his exuberant style and cheery nature – things that she'd often found irritating in the past. He'd always make sure that she was happy and well catered for with plenty of coffee; like the hot pot on her desk every morning and other little products, like biscuits or sweetmeats. These still appeared from time to time, yet without the little Talaxian's cheerful chatter. She sighed deeply.

"You know about Chakotay's condition?" she asked sadly sitting behind her desk.

"I'm aware of his condition," he agreed quietly, still standing in his usual pose, watching her in quiet Vulcan reflection.

"Tuvok?" Janeway questioned softly, wondering if he was alright.

"I shall return to the bridge," his voice sounding a little distracted. "Captain," he said and left. After the door closed behind him she frowned worried, hoping there was nothing seriously wrong with her dark friend and security officer. Having her First office absconded in sickbay was worry enough without Tuvok also. She settled down to review all the data both the Doctor and Seven had sent to her.

The planet did indeed meet all of the Doctor's criteria, yet Janeway wondered would it meet hers. Seven and Kim had both been monitoring it via probes sent ahead of them as well as the ship's sensors. It wasn't on any know trader space lanes nor had it been visited by the Borg; but with no visible humanoid presence or technology they would leave it alone. For the most part the planet was covered in large forests with vibrant wildlife, reminding Janeway of some of the North European wild forests. Some areas were like the prairies of North America and the pampas plains of Argentina. Yet something about the place worried her.

Torres had also reviewed the data and found some large sources of mineral deposits that Voyager required and they were conveniently situated near an open plain where they could land the ship safely. It would certainly make repairs that much easier than having to don EVA suits, she thought, putting together a full rosta for maintenance schedule to last at least three to four weeks.

Seven went over the data and scans continually and wondered why this planet had shown up now, seemingly just when the crew really needed it. Food in the form of suitable plant life was plentiful, along with abundant fresh drinking water, from small streams to large rivers and snow locked ice caps at the poles.

The Doctor noted the vibrant warm seas around the planet's equator with wide sandy beaches, islets and tall ragged rocky cliff faces. It was as if the best that Earth had to offer was all put in one place.

"Computer any signs of any alien structures like those of Iconian or Preserver obelisks?" he asked frowning.

#Negative#

"Nothing? Not even the start of one?"

#There is one structure. Not of any known design, neither Iconian or Preserver.#

"Display," he ordered quietly, hoping it would reveal something, yet the structure was as the computer had said, 'of no known design'. "Perhaps the Commander would find this mystery interesting," he murmured to himself gazing at the strange artefact.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The crew's general response to the prospect of shore leave on the unknown planet was optimistic coupled with a sense of caution, yet that changed as shifts came and went and they still orbited the planet some 24hrs later; making no moves to either send down an Away Team via transporters or shuttle or land the ship herself. Grumblings started to spread as first frustration and then anger slowly reared its ugly head as no definite decision was made about whether to investigate the puzzling paradise planet further.

Chakotay sat in his office reviewing the data from their continuous scans as they orbited a third full 24hrs; also he read the reports from security about some minor incidents of altercation among the crew. The Doctor's report on his medical condition did not make for good reading, especially how it related to the crew's general emotional well being, worried him. He'd already had to deal with the many questions from the junior staff as to when a decision would be made about shore leave or any sort of decision; this indecision was unsettling them.

The whole idea of approaching Captain Kathryn Janeway sent tremors through his whole body, tremors he found increasingly hard to control or understand. It also seemed as if his spirit/nagual had deserted him; he found it hard to meditate. So that he ended up even tenser than before trying to go on a Vision Quest. He needed to relax; getting to his feet, he paced his office floor.

"Enter!" he said in response to his door bell, breathing deep to control his mounting anger and frustration.

"Commander," said the calm cool tones of the Vulcan Security Chief. Surprised Chakotay stared at him; this was the first time that Tuvok had ever paid him a visit here.

"Tuvok?!" startled, feeling himself tremble. Strong arms prevented him from ending up on the floor again and guided his shaking body to the view-port seating. The Vulcan said nothing he just helped the trembling male to sit down and then sat with him, whilst Chakotay held on trying to still himself. After a while his rapid breathing deepened and the trembling subsided.

"Take your time, Chakotay," Tuvok quietly encouraged. Chakotay felt tears well in his eyes, closing them to stem the tide.

"Need to be still," he whispered, holding tightly onto the Vulcan's arms that were steadying him.

"Agreed, Chakotay. We will need to force the Captain's hand and land this vessel," he said matter-of-factly. The tattooed male looked at the dark pointed eared male, realising he'd called him by his given name and not his rank as was usual for this male.

"You feeling the strain also?" he asked, the tremors in his body now more-or-less under his control.

"Yes." That soft admission said more to Chakotay than what his own body was telling him; including all the reports he'd been reading about the crew, the ship and the planet.

"Then we'd better do something now; before this crew mutineers on us," making to stand. The Vulcan aided him and they left Chakotay's office together side-by-side. When the crew saw them, faces determined as they purposefully strode down the corridors and entered the turbo-lift that would take them directly to the bridge; a buzz of puzzlement and apprehension spread through the ship like wild-fire, wondering what was afoot.

They entered the bridge and took quiet command of it. First they checked that the Captain was located in her Ready Room and sealed her in. Chakotay took his own command seat and gave his order.

"Mr. Paris. Co-ordinates have been set for a suitable landing site?"

"Aye, Sir," puzzled, by the two Commander's quiet determination.

"Good. Take us down." No one moved for a moment, until Tuvok made the ship-wide announcement:

/\ All stations to report code blue readiness. /\

Paris swivelled back round to his conn console and set in motion the correct protocols to land the ship. He felt the vessel readily – if not eagerly – response to his commands as if Voyager herself was ready for some shore leave.

At his command chair Chakotay too felt the same subtle difference within the ship; knowing she too was eager to rest. He watched the main view screen as they descended through the white cloud cover toward the blue-green planet. Chakotay knew the Doctor had not exactly been happy about releasing him from his expert care.

"_Doctor if I stay here; I'll go crazy. I __**need**__ to be busy doing something, anything," trembling as he'd paced between the bio-beds. The EMH had gently halted him and nodded understandingly._

"_Thank you," he'd breathed relieved._

"_Report to me if you need any help," he'd said, before letting the male go._ Now he could feel not only the ship responding but also the crew – wary at first – yet following orders as they'd been trained to. As Voyager descended on her glide trajectory; the mood subtly changed to eagerness.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

In engineering when the order for code blue had reached them, they'd been stunned until Torres snapped at them:

"Well don't just stand there. Duty."

"Yes, Ma'am," was the happy chorused reply. B'Elanna smiled to herself not really caring who'd finally given the order, just pleased that it had been taken. She set her largish bulk down and reviewed her list of priorities and crew rosta for the up coming repairs, plus a full systems overhaul; which in her mind was long overdue – again. Although sometime back they'd managed to give the nacelles a proper overhaul; because of Harry Kim's actions that had been cut short and she hated cutting corners with Voyager's engines. Any other part of the ships systems, well they could patch and make do, but not **her** engines. Now finally they were to get the overhaul they were due and deserved, along with the rest of the ship's systems.

"And you can be quiet," she said to her lump as its internal occupant kicked. Her staff smiled, working happily whilst the ship glided down toward the planet's surface.

'What would they really find?' some wondered; for despite the good scanner results and sensor data it did appear to be 'too good to be true' type of planet.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

In her Ready Room, Janeway failed at first to notice the change in the vessel's noises as she'd been absorbed in the planetary data. Looking up at her view-ports she noticed the blues, greens and sandy browns rushing toward her. Going over she watched as the planet's flora came closer as the ship glided easily down to the wide pampas grass plain close to a fast flowing stream. The thrusters slowed their downward fall easing the ship to the chosen site; landing struts were heard to lock into place before touch down; as she listened - she was not mistaken – in hearing the whole ship sigh with relief. She wasn't sure at that moment whether it was relief at landing safely or because the vessel was on the ground rather than in space. Janeway was startled by the fact that she hadn't been called to the bridge, she then discovered she was locked in.

"Computer on whose authority am I locked in my Ready Room?" she demanded.

#Orders received from Cmdr Chakotay, Lt Cmdr Tuvok and endorsed by the CMO, the Emergency Medical Holographic program.# She was politely informed. Janeway could have sworn the computer had sounded almost gleeful, like a playful child. 'But that was absorbed – wasn't it?'

Kathryn Janeway sat down having failed to convince the computer to set her free from her Ready Room, either directly or site-to-site transport, but to no avail.

#Correct command codes required# She was told.

Meantime on the Bridge, Chakotay ordered the ship to be put on grey-mode and told Harry Kim to co-ordinate with engineering; sure in the knowledge that Lt Torres had finalised the repair and maintenance teams. He stood up and moved to the centre of the command area, which he soon realised, was a mistake, as his body started to shake. Gentle arms held him close to their owner's younger torso.

"Hey steady, Chakotay," said Tom's voice in his ear.

"Duty roster's are in my office as to who does what and when, along with a…skeleton crew."

"Let's get you to bed, Chakotay," Tom said trying to guide the shaking male off the bridge. Kim quietly worked his console, contacting sickbay and apprising the Doctor of the situation; who replied he'd meet his patient in his quarters.

"Computer initiate site-to-site transport of Lt Paris and the Commander from the Bridge to Cmdr Chakotay's quarters," Kim said. The pair were soon enveloped within a blue haze and vanished. Tuvok ordered Delta-B shift to report to the bridge after having locked down all systems. Once the personnel arrived the main Alpha shift left the area to see when they would be taking shore leave and where. Lastly Tuvok released the lock-out on the Captain's Ready Room and then left the bridge himself.

Janeway couldn't believe what was happening, it was as if her senior officers and crew had all but deserted her, pacing the floor angrily; thus she failed to hear the lock-out click off. Happy loud chatter coming from the bridge alerted her that something had changed. Cautiously she stepped out of her room onto the bridge.

"Ma'am?!" a startled crewman said having almost bumped into her small frame. Looking round at the faces of the skeleton crew on the dim-lit bridge there were none that she knew well or were very familiar to her. Seven entered from the turbo-lift in her usual brisk manner.

"Seven," she smiled relaxing a little at the sight of the blonde female.

"Captain; I have gone over every scan and sensor data again. There is nothing wrong with the planet," she said sounding perplexed. "And yet I feel there should be."

"Never look the gift horse in the mouth," a crewman said on passing, with a nervous smile at both females; making for the conn console and went about his business of re-calibration.

"Where is the usual bridge shift? This is Delta-B; I believe?!" looking puzzled at Janeway.

"Don't look at me, Seven. Not my doing," she said and taking Seven's hand left the bridge via the main turbo-lift. With all systems on grey-mode, both females were effectively shut off from the ships major systems; so Janeway headed for Deck 8 cargo-bay 2 and Seven's alcove and work station. There the two continued to work assessing the planetary data together; whilst the rest of the crew made plans for shore leave.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Tom Paris had been very grateful to Harry for his quick thinking with the site-to-site transport and the Doc for his assistance in getting the big tattooed male into bed to sleep. He now hoped that B'Elanna would go along with his partly formulated plans to get Chakotay off ship, plus himself and his heavily pregnant wife.

The woman he sought was sitting or at least trying to – at the computer console in their quarters overseeing last minute preparations for the maintenance overhaul.

"Ok; Vorik. Lock everything down and begin in the morning after breakfast."

/\ Acknowledged, Lieutenant. Sleep well. Vorik out /\

She leaned back into the chair closing her eyes, having closed the channel her end. Tom watched her a moment and then lovingly kiss her cheek whilst stroking her swollen belly.

"Thomas Paris, if you sneak up on me like that…" she didn't finish as his kiss claimed her mouth thoroughly. "Hmm!"

"You were saying?" he teased grinning; helping her out of the chair and to the sofa where they could cuddle up together.

"How's Chakotay?" she asked worriedly.

"Not good, Lanna," he sighed. "He's sleeping for now," pausing to hold her closer. "I do have an idea and it will involve us leaving the ship with him," he quickly put a finger over her mouth stalling her protest. "I know you'd like to oversee things in engineering, but I'm sure your staff are adequately trained and suitably chastened that things will run to schedule without you for a week or two," he said, making her smile.

"Where are we to go, then?" she asked. Paris just gave her the PADD, displaying the alien structure. "What is it?"

"I've no idea. Doc says even the computer hasn't recognised it or matched to anything known. Maybe Chakotay can take a look; after he's rested."

"You really care about him, don't you? Don't come back at me with your usual flippant remarks, Thomas Paris."

"Sure I care, B'Elanna," he said, kissing her forehead softly holding her close to him. "He's a friend I didn't realise I had until we – I almost lost him," he added quietly. "Besides who else around here will put up with me?" he quipped after a few minutes in quiet contemplation.

"**You**, Thomas Paris are…intolerable!" she snapped, yet her eyes belied her tone of voice. He smiled in response cuddling her as close as her current condition would allow.

"I think this little lady is trying to muscle in on our act," he said making B'Elanna smile; she drew him close and kissed him soundly.

tbc...


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

**Chapter 2**

Chell had his orders from Chakotay to seal and lock all food stores and set the temperatures to the lowest safe levels to preserve the food-stuffs and plants in hydro and airponics. Under no circumstances were any food-stuffs from the planet to be brought aboard Voyager. He was advised to set up a field kitchen beneath Voyager's forward section and cook the planet's food-stuffs there and to naturally recycle food waste and seeds. Chell had thought this strange since they'd always foraged on the planet's they'd passed for suitable food-stuffs; but the talk among the crew of this paradise being a little 'too good to be true', he realised the wisdom in the commander's orders.

The general order was also put out to the crew along similar lines; that nothing from the planet was to be brought aboard Voyager and nothing from the ship was to be left to litter the planet.

"Equip yourselves with what you need for your trips off ship and make sure you return with that same equipment," Tom Paris read out in the Mess Hall during breakfast; their last meal on Voyager until they left the paradise planet. "Just bring back some good experiences and memories. Crew dismissed," he smiled.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Tuvok was trying to meditate in his quarters using his usual Vulcan techniques, but they didn't appear to be helping; about to call the Doctor when the EMH turned up at his door.

"Doctor?" his tone mild.

"Your recent medical scan threw up some unforeseen problems. I'd like you to check this whilst I re-affirm those readings," giving the dark male a PADD. As Tuvok read the data, the Doctor ran his tricorder scanner over the male's head.

"Doctor?" he questioned, looking at the EMH. "How long?"

"Two, three year's maybe. I can keep it under some control with the drugs, but it is not a permanent solution."

"No, that is true. That will be on Vulcan," he acknowledged. "I will inform the Captain when it becomes necessary. Until then I will continue as normal; although it appears my meditation techniques will have to be limited."

"Indeed," the EMH agreed. "You have suffered some rather traumatic events during our journey through the Delta quadrant. Thus perhaps this problem shouldn't be so surprising."

"Thank you, Doctor. I will be taking some shore leave in the next two days. I'll report to you for a booster shot before I leave the ship."

"Good," he said, his expression neutral as he left. The Vulcan stood at the viewports and looked at the scene outside and yet was not seeing it as the male turned his thoughts inward, roaming mentally through his journey; both in terms of physical space and his on-going relationships with certain members of the crew, including Captain Kathryn Janeway.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Harry Kim sat in his quarters going over some last minute preparations. He and Vorik were to start on the maintenance overhaul with Alpha shift and when that was done a group from Ops/Security and Engineering teams were to take a hiking trip into the Rocky canyons; taking only the camping equipment they would require, but if the mild weather held they would probably sleep under the stars. No moon, yet his scans had noted a faint elliptical set of rings around the planet at a 45 degree angel as if a small moon should have been in orbit, yet had possibly been shattered by a passing meteor or asteroid. He had a feeling the rings would shine in the night's sky.

/\ Ensign Vorik to Ensign Kim. We are ready to begin. /\

"Acknowledged, Vorik. I'll be right down. Kim out," he replied and left his quarters for engineering deck.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Tom Paris was in the shuttle bay loading tenting equipment onto an anti-grav sledge when Torres joined him wrapped up warm and out of uniform as he was.

"What's this?" she asked, having kissed his cheek in greeting.

"Camping gear and cooking utensils, etc."

"No tent I've ever seen," she noted playfully.

"It will be once Ayala and I have erected it," grinning as he gave her a cuddle; then he sobered. "Lanna, I'd like you to stay here with Chakotay at least until the camp site is ready. We'll come and collect you both and transport you via those hover bike sledges," pointing to the relevant items in a corner of the bay.

"You've been itching to have a go on those ever since you found their design specs in the ship's achieved data-base," shaking her head at his boyish expression. "With the transporters shutdown for maintenance and emergency use only, I don't blame you. Take care," kissing his nose as Ayala joined them. "Make sure this male doesn't get into any mischief, Mike," she told the dark haired male, ignoring the indignant look from her husband as she left the shuttle bay.

"Right let's get these hover bikes loaded up and running." Mike Ayala smiled as eager as the pilot to give the bikes a run.

B'Elanna Torres entered Chakotay's quarters enjoying the sight and feel of the early sunlight streaming in through the viewports. The male still slept soundly in his bed when she entered the bedroom area, yet he stirred sensing her presence and blinked groggily at her.

"Morning, big brother!" she teased softly, easing her bulk down onto the bed beside him. He quietly lifted a hand and hesitantly reached for hers. She catches it, gently squeezed it and then laid it on her swollen belly, surprising him. He felt strangely shy touching her like this, but then someone kicked beneath his hand more then once.

"She's going to be just like her mother," he smiled and added softly. "Foul tempered."

"I give **you** 'foul tempered', Mister!" she snapped back angrily, yet her words were tempered by her welcoming smile. "If you can tease, you must be feeling better," she summarised.

"Perhaps," he sighed laying fully back into the pillows, his hand still held in hers on her belly. He again smiled at the strong movements kicking under that hand. Sighing again, he gently pulled his hand free and rolled to the opposite side of the bed to sit up. Torres watched him as he flexed sleep tired muscles and generally stretched the kinks of sleep from them.

"Tom and Mike will be back for us later. They've gone to set up camp; Help! I knew I shouldn't have sat here," trying to stand, but she had nothing for leverage. A strong arm encircled her back beneath her arms, whilst the other held her free hand and thus helped her to her feet. B'Elanna felt warm within his gentle embrace, letting him hold her. He squeezed her softly and kissed the top of her head.

"Tom is a very lucky man," he whispered, giving her another gentle squeeze and then carefully released her and then he went into the shower area, to refresh himself and dress.

Chakotay packed a small bag with some personal items; sleepwear, his medicine bundle, a change of clothing and a special journal. B'Elanna noted that he wore a casual style; what she didn't know was that it was one of the outfits he'd worn on New Earth. The soft jerkin over the loose shirt and pants fitted him well adding to his handsome appearance. Tom joined them and whistled.

"Very nice, Chakotay," giving his wife a kiss. "Oh don't worry I won't be kissing **you**," he teased grinning, at the big male, who'd suddenly felt shy and warmed by his friends comments.

When he saw their mode of transport however, he was very intrigued walking round the two bikes and asking questions. Mike Ayala watched amused, pleased to see his friend happy realising the male was acting like a little boy who'd discovered a new toy to play with.

"Hop on Chakotay," he invited, having stowed the male's bag in the under seat storage holder of the passenger seat. Dazed he sat astride the hover bike behind Ayala; whilst Tom made sure B'Elanna was seated securely in the baggage compartment on his bike. The two males revved up the engines and headed out from under Voyager's forward section and the busy bustle of the new kitchen and headed north-east.

Within twenty to thirty minutes travelling just under the hover bike's top speed they arrived at the camping ground.

"A tepee?!" Chakotay asked, surprised, looking at the round conical tent.

"Like it?" Tom asked hoping he'd done the right thing, as he helped B'Elanna out of her seat. Eyes bright Chakotay looked from the tepee to the pilot.

"Thank you," he said and then disappeared inside the tent.

"We're sleeping in that?" Torres asked.

"There's room for all of us. We've sectioned off three sleep areas within," Tom told her leading her inside, whilst Ayala secured the bikes by covering them.

Inside the tepee - having already selected a sleeping section – Chakotay sat cross legged near the central hearth gazing thoughtfully into the flames.

"Everything alright, Chakotay?" he asked, seeking the males assurance. The tattooed male smiled in response. Torres checked out hers and Tom's sleeping area and realised that he and Ayala had made a platform bed so she wouldn't have to get down to ground level; also included was her favourite lounger chair.

"This is cosy," she noted smiling relaxed at her husband, as they re-joined Chakotay. "What's for lunch?"

"We'll have to go and find it," he said and got to his feet and left the tepee.

"It's alright, Lanna. He won't have to go far," Paris reassured her.

A few strides away from the camp ground clearing Chakotay came across some blueberry bushes, wild garlic and what looked like quash planet along with some sweet potatoes.

"A natural larder," he said softly. Ayala soon joined him with a basket so they could gather the ingredients for their meal. Acorns were knocked down from the young producing tree.

"Makes good flour; only ground up," he told Mike. They even discovered a bee's nest with some honey. Chakotay cautioned that they took only what needed for that day's meal; he also found some mushrooms and gathered enough for the four of them.

Meantime Tom set about putting the finishing touches to the outside cooking fire.

"I thought the hearth in the tepee was for cooking."

"Not if you don't want any lingering cooking smells whilst you sleep. No the tepee's hearth is for warmth and to keep the bugs at bay. It's why I've put some pine cones in there," he informed her, as he stood the cooking tripod with hanging pot over the burning fire.

"Green ones!" she noted.

"And so they should be," said Chakotay having just returned with his full basket. "The resin in the cones will make it smell pleasant for us, but it keeps the biting bugs at bay," he said, setting out his bounty on the large flat stone close to the cooking fire. Mike put down his medium sized can filled with clear clean water from the rushing stream nearby.

Soon the vegetable stew Chakotay had put together was bubbling in the cooking pot hanging over the fire; with blueberry acorn pastry turnovers baking under a pottery pot covered in the fire's hot ashes. Coffee brewed made from the wild berries they'd discovered near the rushing stream.

"You're in your element, aren't you, Chakotay?" Ayala said quietly having been watching his commander's facial expressions, so animated with almost child-like delight. Startled he looked up at the three, who smiled back at him.

"Pass your bowls; if you want to eat."

Later out for a walk following the course of another stream, Chakotay surged ahead almost as if he wanted to reach somewhere yesterday. Ayala called to him, in fact he had to run to catch up with the striding male and halt him.

"Chakotay! Not so fast," grabbing the male's arm to halt his forward progress. "B'Elanna may have another two months to go, but she can't keep up with you; slow down," he smiled as the tattooed male looked back along the way they'd come to where Tom helped his wife to keep a steady pace. He frowned pained, yet he waited for the pair. "If I know B'Elanna, she'll have scheduled the repairs alone to take a couple of weeks if not three. Then there'll be the general maintenance to do. We'll have time, Chakotay," he added softly.

"I hope so, Mike," his voice quiet. "I know Janeway," he said nothing more as Tome and B'Elanna joined them and she sat down on the fallen tree, panting.

"I don't think… I can go any further," trying to drew breath. Seeing the look on Chakotay's face Mike offered to run back for one of the hover bikes and return to take Torres back to camp.

"Thanks, Mike," she said. He ran off after a nod from the two males and went back the way they'd come. Tom sat beside his wife. "Chakotay, I'm not letting Janeway short change us on the repairs and maintenance this time. Voyager's engines are going to get a complete overhaul even if we have to stay here for a whole month or two, to do it," she paused giving her husband a soft knowing smile. "I'll even strip them down to their nuts and bolts if I have too." Chakotay grinned knowing that is exactly what she would do.

"I remember you even threatened to do that with the Liberties engines at one point," he said smiling at the memory.

"I don't remember that?!"

"Before your time; even Tuvok's," she said looking at the tattooed male with a knowing smile. "I think I teased you at one time with the spare engine parts!" He laughed; at that moment Mike Ayala had returned.

"What?" he asked, slowing the hover bike down.

"Engines," Tom enlightened him. Ayala grinned.

"It was very funny watching you looking at all the bits she'd laid out and trying to figure out which bit went where. Until somebody spoilt the fun and told you it was only the spare parts." All of them calmed at that.

"Hmm! Seska," he said quietly, without the pain that had once been there at her betrayal.

"Tom, why don't you stay with Chakotay? Mike and I can gather food for supper on our return journey," Torres suggested.

"If you're sure? I don't want you to tire." She halted him by kissing him softly, her eyes bright. Tom grinned and said: "Ok Poocuh, I'm all yours; I think," frowning at his last words.

"You sure you don't want to re-phrase that?" Chakotay quipped with a mocking grin.

"I suppose I should," pausing a moment noting the grin on Ayala's face. "But I think I may only put my foot in, even further," he added, grinning also, making the tattooed male laugh. The other two smiled too.

"Go on the pair of you. Be back before sundown," she admonished the pair, whilst Ayala helped her into the chair in the baggage carrier on the bike and setting off the way they'd come.

Tom and Chakotay left in the opposite direction still following the stream. They walked in quiet companionable silence, listening to the soft wind in the tree tops and the gurgling of the stream as they strode easily through the mixed woodland; until the stream finally emptied into a lake. The wide still water stood surrounded by the trees in full summer blush was reflected perfectly in the mirror like surface of the water. The two of them stood within the shadow of the trees watching the play of light and shadow on and in the water's surface.

"Looks good for swimming in. don't you think so?"

"No; Tom. Look," pointing to a patch of sunlit water. "Watch the play of light and see how it swirls," he said softly. "That is a river not a lake." Tom watched the patch that Chakotay had pointed out; he noticed a leafy branch floating in the water, on the opposite side, which was catch by the current, whirled in the pool of light and was carried swiftly away from them.

"Do you think this river leads to possibly a waterfall? I feel something coursing through the air," the young pilot said. Chakotay smiled at him and they set off following the leafy branch as it sped on its way. It wasn't long that they could hear a thundering rumbling sound, plus the fact that the forest felt damp.

Suddenly the roaring sound hit their senses as the smooth water tumbled over the steep drop. Moving carefully through the spray dripping forest they went forward toward the roaring sound. The sun played with the water droplets making at least three rainbows within and over the clouds of tumbling water. They stopped in awe at the sight that greeted them as they cleared the tree cover. A huge wall of water curved away from them up to 180 metres wide in the shape of a double three, with them standing on the lower arm of the second three. Both men didn't dare look down as the bottom was beyond the sight hidden by the falling spray. Tom tugged on Chakotay's sleeve pulling him away from the hypnotic falling water; moving back the way they'd come.

Once they'd left the roaring sound behind they felt they could think and speak again.

"Wow! Doesn't even begin to cover that sight," Tom said in hushed tones.

"Indeed. It reminded me of Victoria Falls on the river Zambezi and Niagara Falls all in one. I would think there are least four rivers – if not more – feeding that falls," awe in his voice as he walked through the quiet forest, the roar of the falling water still ringing in his ears. Suddenly he stopped. "Where are we?" he asked looking round at the unfamiliar surroundings. Paris joined him noting the lack of river or stream.

"We must have moved further away from the river's edge in order to reach the Falls," looking round. "But I'm sure we're going in the right direction," he said, about to start forward, but the tight grip on his arm prevented him. He looked at his companion's intent expression as the tattooed male listened. The pair stood there taking in the quiet surrounded by the mainly tall pine trees, where the sunlight dappled the fern strewn ground, yet nothing else moved much apart from the sunlit dust motes.

"Quiet, too quiet," Tom whispered finding himself standing closer to his companion than he had been. Chakotay listened aware of the other's closeness, yet accepting it. a noise broke the stillness and a voice they knew very well called. A few minutes later his hover bike broke cover, with the second bike in tow.

"B'Elanna got worried about you both," Ayala grinned as he joined them. "Seeing how far off course you are, just as well I came looking. There's a marshy area between here and camp, on the line you're currently taking; therefore you'd have had to take an even longer route on foot to get back to camp," he said as the two friends loaded up on the second bike and followed Ayala's lead. Chakotay had to smile at Mike Ayala's banter, only half listening as the male explained how he'd tracked them. For one who when on duty didn't say much, he sure made up for it at other times.

Suddenly something caught his eye to his left as they hovered through and over the marshy reed beds. Within the underbrush framed by the trees stood a white wolf, her yellow eyes looking straight at him.

"Chakotay," called a voice the pilot of his hover bike. "You alright?" Paris asked concerned.

"Yes! Yes, Tom; I'm fine," he said reassuringly. He looked back at the spot where the wolf had stood, but the area was now empty, leaving him wondering if he'd imagined her. the sky was starting to darken above their heads as they rode back into the camp clearing and the smell of cooking. After their meal, they sat and watched the stars come out in the dark moonless sky; where the planetary rings did indeed arch, shining moon white across the night sky.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Those self same arched rings looked down on the resting starship as she sat in the wide pampas plain; where the once busy activity beneath her was now quiet as some of the crew stirred within their sleeping bags as they slept under the open sky.

The tall dark skinned pointed eared figure of Tuvok checked the security provisions set to keep the wandering animal night life from disturbing the sleepers. Once that had been completed to his satisfaction he took himself off to a near-by rocky outcrop to meditate. Out of uniform as were most of the non working crew; he wore a neat tunic top and pants of muted browns, felt the night breeze brush past his face and whisper across his alert ears as he walked and then climbed to his chosen destination. He decided to sit on his high rocky perch cross legged, rather than kneel as was his usual position when meditating; hoping it would aid his need to meditate. He quietly contemplated the starry vista before him, looking out across the open plain, which at this dark hour reminded him of some of the less harsh plains of Vulcan. Soothed by the sight he relaxed and thought deeply about his journey over the last seven years; his friendships with the crew, especially Kathryn Janeway and all the senior staff, including Seven of Nine, the Doctor even Neelix and Vorik the only other Vulcan and not forgetting his security staff.

It was his friendship with the command team that occupied his thoughts at first, but a certain funny alien male kept popping up more often than not. to start with he kept pushing those thoughts aside, yet after a while as they either popped up at odd moments or crept in, he let them have free reign. In doing so he began to realise just how much he missed the alien male. Irrational and irritating though the Talaxian had always seemed to the cool clam Vulcan, they'd played off each other. Although Tuvok knew he would not openly admit to it, he missed their word sparring. Neelix had always surprised the Vulcan with his wit and wisdom, often at the most unlikeliest of ways and times.

"_Maquis training getting you down." _The words were as clear as the day they'd first been uttered. Tuvok lost himself in the memories those words evoked, whilst the stars and silver-white rings moved across the dark velvet blue sky above his head.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Whilst Seven of Nine regenerated, Kathryn Janeway took a walk around the ship starting with deck 8. Most of the crew were either asleep in their quarters or somewhere out on the planet surface. Even Voyager herself slept the easy sleep of one who felt no threat from fear. Only she Kathryn Janeway was awake striding purposefully through the empty corridors of the once vibrant vessel. Her thoughts churned over the data she and Seven had gone over several times and yet they'd found nothing to be feared on this planet that many of the crew were naming Paradise – Garden of Eden, in their various languages and cultures.

She knew the saying about the 'gift horse' about not looking too closely into its mouth or it would bite, as the Trojans had discovered to their cost. Engineering stood quiet and silent for once, usually a wash with the hubbub of noise and Torres berating her staff as they kept the ship ticking over. Only her booted feet walking evenly through the decks along with her heart-beat could be heard. The silence worried at her as she continued her tour, making her way back up from 15 to deck 7. Something was missing, she thought and it wasn't until she reached the Mess Hall and saw the dawn breaking through the view-ports that she realised what it was. There was no song from Voyager.

"No pulse," she whispered watching the sunlit streamer clouds as they reflected the rays of the as yet unseen sun. She stood watching and waiting hoping to hear the sound of a particular little alien man's cheery voice, but it spoke only in her mind and memories, not her ears.

"Beautiful," breathed another male voice quietly, yet not the voice she'd been expecting, but it still made her jump. "Captain, bed. Doctor's orders," he said in a quiet commanding tone. "And no coffee," he admonished, before she could go to the replicators.

"They're off-line anyway, Doctor," she said smiling resigned as she finally turned to look at him. He quietly escorted her to her quarters and made sure she took to her bed; he even gave her a mild sedative to send her into slumber land and that is where he left her; whilst outside the planet awoke to a bright warm sunny day. The crew and ship stirred from their untroubled sleep to enjoy another day of either work or play.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Harry Kim and his trekking group enjoyed a hearty breakfast courtesy of Chell and the planet's cuisine. Soon they all loaded up their camping and climbing gear onto themselves and set off in a south-westerly direction to the craggy range that ran the length of the northern continent, the ship currently occupied, like a backbone running at an angel of 25 degrees from true north. As they walked or rather trekked, they gathered what nourishment they needed to sustain them on their journey. They all chatted quietly among themselves about all manner of subjects, from what they observed around them to general news within their different areas of expertise on their vessel. Harry just absorbed it all, whilst soaking up the sun's warmth along with the warmth of his fellow companions. It wasn't long before the others brought up their personnel observations of the command team.

"You know it is surprising that it is only when something goes that you really appreciate what you had," noted the human female from Ops beta shift.

"Oh and what is that, Jenna?" asked her male friend.

"Not what, who. Neelix." The quiet chatter halted as they all reflected on their own memories of the funny little alien.

"I know what you mean," agreed a male from engineering, which Kim had been working with over the last two days straight in order to get the work Torres had listed done.

"I never thought I'd say this; but I even miss his cooking," Harry said with a grin. Varying degrees of expressions greeted this news, from surprised to disbelief and yet they soon found themselves agreeing to the Ensign's statement and started to relate their own culinary experiences that the Talaxian plied them with; especially his experiments with Earth's more spicy dishes.

"You remember the rooting chilly?" They all laughed as they continued on their way. Someone quietly listened.

tbc...


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer see Chapter 1

**Chapter 3**

Toward the end of their third day at camp B'Elanna checked in with Ensign Vorik for a full progress report; sitting in her lounger chair inside the tepee so as not to disturb the boy's doing their supper outside. Long after Vorik had signed off she continued to sit there quietly thinking, not about maintenance repairs, but the emotional repairs especially that of her friend Chakotay. He had slept soundly every time he'd settled for either the night or a short nap in the afternoon – to keep her company he'd said – leaving Tom and Ayala to go and amuse themselves. The first time Tom had taken Mike on one of the hover bikes to the waterfall; both had returned awed by the sight. Chakotay had tried to describe it to her, with the other two adding their bit also.

"I think I get the picture," she'd smiled at the time, feeling that same soft smile return now. On the next napping session Tom had shown Ayala why he'd chosen this particular spot to camp, not just because of the alien structure - which Paris only told Mike was near-by, but for the soft ground between them and the upper part of the Mirror River; when they'd visited it that afternoon they'd found fresh wolf tracks in the soft wet soil.

"Look's like this is a flood plain for the river. Plus that other marsh area you nearly fell into that first day," Mike said grinning. Paris had smiled too and then they went about collecting some wild strawberries to add to their supper.

Tom joined her and noted her pensive look. "Penny for them," he said startling her.

"Sorry, Tom. You were saying?"

"Penny for your thoughts. Repairs going ok?" he asked, helping her to her feet.

"They're going fine. Vorik says they're ahead of my projected schedule," she told him as they emerged into the early evening air. "I reminded him, I want **no** short cuts," sitting on her special chair that the boys had made for her out of the natural materials around them, so she could join them around the camp cooking fire.

"I'm sure he was suitably chastened!" quipped Ayala, knowing B'Elanna as they all did.

She grinned and asked instead: "What's cooking?" keeping them guessing as she didn't really want to dwell too much on leaving the planet too soon. Chakotay caught something of her mood and started to list the ingredients.

"I asked, 'what's cooking' not for a breakdown of the individual items. You know what the end product is called and how it tastes, that is what I need to know. If you please," she stopped a moment. Tom touched her hand worried. "It's alright, Tom. I was just remembering I once asked Neelix that question and got a veritable babble of each and every ingredient including it's life history," smiling at the memory.

"We all miss him, Lanna. Irritating, pesky, lovable and funny," Paris said, stopping to quietly reflect on his memories of the alien male, who'd won the affection of many of the crew, seeming to know just when to pop-up with a party. He looked at Chakotay and realised something, yet he said nothing out loud as the male handed round the delicious smelling stew.

Later as the sun fully slid from view and the stars popped out with the silver-white rings arching across the sky; Tom noticed Chakotay take a direct stroll down to the Mirror River – as they'd been calling it. He finished bedding down the cooking fire and then went into the tepee to check the hearth there, but Ayala had already seen to it, pine cones scenting the air. He peaked in at his wife and noted that she was sound asleep. Picking up the native blanket from Chakotay's sleep pallet, he followed the male's path and found him sitting on a large flattish rock that jutted out from the trees and yet stood high above the flood mark. Carefully he joined the male and draped the blanket over the broad hunched shoulders.

"Chakotay?" speaking softly. The seated male shifted to give Tom room to sit beside him, grateful for the blanket as it was a little nippy close to the moving water.

"Do you miss Neelix?" he asked, still staring out over the starlit water.

"Sometimes," Tom admitted. "Although with both of us protective of Kes, it was a rather rocky relationship at first." He grew silent watching the star and ring light play with the water. At night – he realised – the full and true nature of the Mirror River was more apparent than in the daylight, as it drove toward the tempest falls. "Neelix always knew when to cheer the crew looking into our different cultures for festive ideas; trying to keep the Captain happy. Happy Captain, happy crew, was his motto!" seeing a soft smile grace his friend's face. "Yet I think it was really you he looked to," turning to fully look at the tattooed male.

"What? Why do you say that?" startled his dark eyes wary.

"Chakotay; Neelix liked to keep the Captain sweet – I think was how Q once put it, but he also knew he couldn't compete against you, nor would he try. Just listen," he said, stalling the male who silently nodded. "You were the one he'd always propose his ideas to first; especially after Kes and I explained the command structure to him. You are also the one most of the crew turn to when an emotional problem comes up. Some talked to Neelix or rather he talked to them," smiling at the memories. "I even think I heard Neelix call you the barometer that he gauged the crew's mood by. Most times he responded to events in general, other times he'd announce a party for no reason most of the rest of us could see, but we were always grateful for those surprise parties. To see you relaxed and smiling was best of all," he added sincerely.

They sat in companionable silence awhile as each absorbed what had been revealed. Tom shifted and got to his feet preparing to return to camp and his bed.

"Don't stay up too late, Chakotay," he said and gave the man's shoulder a squeeze before leaving.

Chakotay heard him leave, yet didn't turn to watch, if he had he would have seen the male look over his shoulder, the star/ring lit pale features reflected with gentle worry for his friend, then he disappeared into the dark shadows as he made his way back to camp and the warmth of his bed with B'Elanna.

Pulling the blanket tighter around his seated figure he watched the night life of Mirror River stir around him, as he thought on what Tom had said, especially in relation to Neelix. He'd thought it strange at first that he'd found his thoughts dwelling much on the little Talaxian, more so since they'd arrived here, than in the week since he'd left to join the small Talaxian colony. Although they had regular contact with him – until they were out of range of normal communications – they had set him up with the same system they were using to contact Starfleet on Earth.

Suddenly he tensed, sensing he wasn't alone, yet no one was near, but the sensation of being watched was a very powerful one. Slowly he relaxed feeling no immediate threat from the watcher. His eyes looked up at the silver-white rings arching over the velvet sky, pulsing like a heart beat.

The sensation of being watched returned but this was very different. Slowly he brought his gaze down from the rings to a place across the river directly in front of him. There standing tall amidst the dark shadowy pine trees was the most enthralling creature he'd ever seen and one he'd thought only confined to legends and stories of long ago. The creature was pure white reflecting the starlight brown eyes gazing wide at Chakotay as he stood tall poised for flight, his antlers a wide white crown on his head.

"The Hart," he whispered softly not taking his own brown eyes off this creature. Chakotay felt awed and humbled by the Hart's presence, even with the river between them. A distant sound startled them both and in a flash the White Stag had gone. He let out the breath he'd been holding so to be really still, the image of the Hart poised, still imprinted on his mind's eye. He pondered this happening; first the white She-wolf and now the white Stag both revered animals by his people, by him, what did it mean? Shivering in the night's cold air, he stiffly got to his feet and made his careful way back to camp. He looked back once hoping to catch sight of the beautiful creature again, but the dark trees were empty. Sighing he snuggled down into his sleep pallet and slept sound until well after dawn and breakfast was on the go, with the others wide awake and dressed. He didn't talk about his encounter with the Hart, for he felt to do so would have lessened the beauty of the experience.

Once breakfast was over for all of them and both fires bedded down, so as not to cause a forest conflagration. Tom stood, helping his wife to her feet.

"Let's take a stroll," he said innocently. Puzzled Chakotay looked a question at him. "I'm not saying. Yet I know it will intrigue **you**," he responded with a knowing smile. They all followed Paris' lead with B'Elanna setting the pace. Rounding the corner in the dense bush cover, some ten minutes later, the clearing with its strange structure came fully into view. The upright wooden pole stood within the small clearing surrounded by smaller poles. Chakotay stared at the main pole that towered above them and the poles that circled it.

"A Totem," he whispered softly, moving toward it through the obvious entryway.

"Totem? The computer said it was not of any known design," quizzed Tom, helping Torres to sit on one of the logs that encircled the clearing.

"I'm not surprised it said that," he commented still gazing at the pole with a frown. "This is a puzzle," he said almost to himself. "This bottom one is an Olmec head. Next is a Mayan Panther or Jaguar, followed by a wolf of the plains Amerindians; yet they didn't make these kinds of totems," he noted walking round the tall structure. "Next is an Aztec eagle and finally…" he stared.

"It looks like a Stag head," noted Ayala, craning his head back to see. "Chakotay are you alright?"

"What? Yes, fine."

"You looked for a moment as if you'd just seen a ghost," he remarked eying his friend worriedly. "Did the makers of these totems worship them?" he asked quietly, helping his friend regain his emotional balance.

"No; they were more a status symbol or a family's history or even notable events in the tribe's history," he said, looking up at the craved stag head at the top its whiteness catching the sun. "This has obviously been carved into a living tree, because it is rooted rather than put into the ground," moving to examine it more closely and noted that the Olmec head stood as high as his shoulder.

"How did they carve it upright?" Ayala asked, whilst Tom investigated one of the smaller poles.

"Probably much the same way as lumberjacks used to cut down tall trees. The stag's antlers look like they were the trees upper branches."

"Chakotay!" Tom called. "Take a look at this," he said, and waited for the tattooed male to join him, before adding: "Pictographic."

"Indeed. Mayan, Aztec, some Olmec and even Miztec, I think," he said running his fingers reverently over the picture cravings.

"Can you read it?" Tom asked quietly, understanding something of Chakotay's puzzlement.

"Not at the moment or at least not all of it," his voice hesitant as he read the symbols trying to make out their message, yet they didn't make a lot of sense to him. Then one set did: "What needed can be found. If one seeks not what desired," he read on the pole.

"That doesn't appear to make any sense," noted Paris frowning puzzled, as Chakotay went to the next pole.

"I do remember my Grandmother once said, 'Our needs are few, but our wants or desires are infinite,'" said Ayala with a smile sitting next to B'Elanna.

"This looks as if it was made for a purpose, like a teaching aide," she noted frowning.

"What makes you say that?" Ayala asked, watching the two males looking at the next pole that stood around the totem. They had counted seven smaller poles all craved but not painted, including the central totem.

"Well look at the place, Mike," her arm making a sweeping gesture to take in the whole area. "These logs around the clearing are like seating, they also define the area and probably keeps the creeping undergrowth at bay," she said speaking so the other two males could hear her. "Each one of the smaller poles have writing on, don't they?" Ayala nodded. "I know from my school days that not all peoples used paper or computers to record their histories; some used stone or built walls – like the Egyptians or wood to crave into. Plus the Saga's, epic tales told or sung by bards who passed down their peoples history through song learned by word of mouth. Maybe this is something similar or a combination."

"You could be right, B'Elanna," Chakotay said stalling the other two males from scoffing at the idea, walking over to where she sat, having been round the site. "All the smaller poles have a short saying or 'Pearl of wisdom' - as one pole sites it – in larger symbols, whilst the history or event is written in smaller symbols down the rest of the pole."

"So the 'needs and desires' is first?" asked Tom.

"I don't think so," turning to look at the circle. "That is the problem with a circle, where do you start?" he grinned.

"I get the feeling that if we loose you at anytime; this is where you'll be," Torres noted with a soft smile. "Now I **need** to contact Vorik to see how things are progressing and I'd rather not do it out in the open and spoil the peace," asking with her arms out in front of her for the boys to help her up. Grinning they obliged her. Tom returned to camp with her leaving Ayala to keep Chakotay company; who again tried to understand the messages on the craved poles and what they said to him. Once again someone watched and listened.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Repairs at the ship kept going apace, yet not getting too far ahead of Torres planned schedule; Chell felt in his element cooking in the field kitchen set beneath the forward section of the ship. Either he or others would gather foodstuffs for that day's meal, waste – if any – came only from preparation and certainly not from anyone's plates. It was naturally disposed of, by digging a hole in the ground at the edge of the site and away from any water courses, with the items buried by the dugout soil so it was never exposed to the air. Chell's helpers marked the places so as not to forget where they'd dug last or to overload the area. By re-covering the hole the spread of insect bourn diseases were kept at bay.

Naomi for the first day or two stayed aboard the vessel as she was a space-born child; Icheb managed to encourage her to explore outside and discover the varied plant and insect life with her Mother, along with the rest of the biology science team. All knew they could only observe and record what they found and that was a lesson in itself. Naomi used her drawing pad to record her sights and sounds of the planet's flora and fauna. She discovered a new and unique type of butterfly, one that took only six days to change from caterpillar to fully fledged adult butterfly. Some in the biology team thought she'd used her colourful imagination in her colours of these new butterflies; that was until she asked a young female team member to take a look with her. Leading Gemma by the hand Naomi showed her the glade where the almost rainbow coloured winged butterflies danced in the dappled sunshine.

"We mustn't hurt them by taking them away from their home," Naomi said importantly. By this time the sun was getting low in the sky dowsing the bright colours of the butterflies, somewhat; so the two females went back to camp hand in hand. The watcher waited, noting that the butterflies were still flying about, their gossamer transparent wings almost dark yet they soon picked up the star and ring light as the sky darken and although the rainbows returned to their dancing wings, it wasn't anywhere as near the bright hypnotic colours when in the sunlight. Thus the watcher called softly and the Hart came and scattered the Rainbow wing butterflies from the shady glade sending them scurrying away in twos and threes from being to close to the starship and her crew. When the Hart had returned to the glade the watcher became visible and the She wolf joined the pair, thus the three stood together illuminated silver-white by the rings.

The next morning Gemma, Naomi and Sam returned to the glade only to find it was empty except for the dancing sunbeams that played with the leafy shadows of the broad summer leaved trees that stood around the glade.

"They appear to have moved on," said Sam Wildman, Naomi's mother.

"I must admit their dancing rainbow coloured shining wings were rather hypnotic," said Gemma with a sigh of relief.

"Look," the little Ktarian girl pointed to animal prints near the glade's centre. "Animal tracks. I'm sure Uncle Chakotay could tell me exactly what they are and how long ago they were made," she said squatting down to get a closer look. "This one looks like a deer, a big one, I think," feeling the adults join her tricorder's working. "These are pad marks of a wolf or coyote," frowning puzzled. "Why would hunter and prey be together?" she asked looking up at her new friend and mother.

"There is also another set of marks here, but I can't make them out. A small humanoid possibly," Gemma noted checking her tricorder readings. "Not that the sensors have picked up any other life forms apart from us," she said, standing up again, looking a question at Sam, who only shrugged.

"Come on Naomi," she called to her daughter, who was still studying the track marks, trying to see where they lead. All three left the glade; the female watcher smiled softly.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Tuvok was acutely aware of a soft presence close-by as he meditated, yet the watcher was not corporate in form, just there; it – no 'she' – his thoughts amended felt familiar, achingly familiar. She quietly stood close to his seated form and yet did not touch either physically or mentally, to do so would have harmed him.

/Kes!/ his mind whispered, only the watcher's smile reached him. She was saddened by his current problem and their encounter with an embittered version of her.

/Tuvok/ her voice whispered in his mind, like a soft summer breeze; with that she left him. He too was sorry, but grateful for her brief presence, knowing she'd read his thoughts and memories of Neelix and where the Talaxian was now. He hoped she had made it home to Ocampa and was able to find an inner peace for herself and her people.

/Kes/ he whispered softly and felt again her smile – the child-like innocence, now mixed with her experiences of life and the power of her mental abilities.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Kathryn Janeway felt at a loose end; she'd wandered the ship several times over the last few days, mainly at night whilst the crew slept. She'd noted all the many repairs and general maintenance taking place all over the ship, yet no one seemed in any hurry to complete them as tools lay neatly discarded by an open panel in most areas. After her enforced sleep sessions she'd hear the crew's joyful, carefree laughter in the late evening meals, when many returned from a trip out across the planet, either on foot or by shuttle. Janeway had not picked up the identifiable tones of either Chakotay or Tuvok, thus she knew they were still out somewhere on the planet surface. Her thoughts wandered as much as her feet, wondering whether to join her two male friends. But the memory of what had happened with Chakotay in sickbay stopped her for now.

Tonight she stood alone on the empty bridge, staring at the blank view screen; when she sensed someone join her. She knew who it was, even if he didn't speak, as each day he'd done the same making sure she ate and slept.

"Doctor," she acknowledged, not turning to look at him. He smiled softly and then tensed as a soft gentle voice spoke, not words just a sound like tinkling laughter.

"Kes?" they both whispered. Her gentle face swam into being on the inactive view screen and smiled at them.

/You have nothing to fear here/ she said, quietly into their minds, the lips of the image not moving; slowly her face faded from view.

"Kes!" Kathryn said an ache in her voice.

"Captain," he said pausing unsure a moment. "You did not imagine her. I saw and heard her also," his own voice filled with sorrow and understanding. "Time for your bed, Kathryn," he chided softly. She looked at him then, with a sad smile.

"I miss her. I didn't realise how much until after Neelix left. I feel as if something has been ripped from me," she said going with him to the turbo-lift. "I hoped that helping Seven would fill the void," shaking her head sadly as they got out at deck 3.

"What of your friendship with commander's Chakotay and Tuvok?" he asked, as she keyed in her entry code.

'Yes, what of them?' she thought entering her quarters and made straight for the viewports, where the rising sun sent shadows racing away from the coming dawn light. She realised that she hadn't spend much off-duty time with either male, even though both had not stopped asking her to join them. She had just made excuses - especially with Chakotay - not to have dinner or play on the holodeck, it was always work or meetings or just sitting out their duty shift on the bridge. Tears pricked her eyes, realising now how she'd pushed both him and Tuvok aside in favour of Seven.

"Right now I'd be surprised if they'd even want me, especially Chakotay," her voice trailing as she recalled his unconscious reaction to her close proximity in sickbay, when he'd first been diagnosed with space fatigue.

"Friendships are two way; Captain, that much I have learnt – not just from the crew – but you too," he said quietly. "I don't think either male has abandoned you."

"But I have abandoned them," she said quickly. "I'd like to sleep unaided, please," she added softly.

"Very well, Kathryn. Remember, I am only a call away if you need me. Sleep well," he told her and left her alone.

Janeway shivered feelings of deep loneliness assailing her physical senses. Slowly she undressed and took to her bed, having asked the computer to darken the windows in the bedroom area. At first she watched the play of sunlight coming in from the main area on her bedroom walls, yet she soon succumbed to full REM sleep.

tbc...


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer see Chapter one.

**Chapter 4**

In her dream she heard a voice call across a vast dark void that was empty of any light; again she shivered with loneliness.

/You are never alone, Kathryn/

"Chakotay?" she questioned into the void, seeking some sign of him. Slowly a small light pulsed in the distant; she waited and watched as it moved toward her or she moved to it – she couldn't be sure which as the darkness negated all signs of measuring movement or time. The light changed into a silver-white animal – a she wolf – who regarded her with patient yellow eyes.

"Who?" Janeway asked puzzled. She felt more than saw the animal smile at her; it was a smile that felt very familiar to her, yet she could not place it. The she-wolf turned and looked over its shoulder.

Janeway thus felt compelled to follow and as she did so the dark void changed as if a dawn was lighting up the place, yet it was still devoid of any known features.

/You give this place life, Kathryn/

"Kes?" feeling more confused, yet she still followed the she-wolf through the misty grey void. 'You give this place life,' echoed in her mind.

Suddenly she stopped and stood still; the She-wolf continued for a short while and then stopped also and sat down facing away from Janeway.

/Remember/

"Tuvok," as she spoke his name a scene came to life before her, within the misty greyish/black void. As it cleared she gasped, as it was the board of inquiry that had first brought her into contact with the dark stoic Vulcan. She couldn't make out all the details – but did she really want to? She wondered. She stood before the male or rather her younger self did. Janeway found herself smiling at the strange memory, both happy and sad at the same time. She didn't need to hear the words he spoke, for she knew he'd accepted her offer to permanently become her Chief of Security on whatever ship she commanded.

/I'll always be with you, Kathryn Janeway/ his voice clear in her mind; then he turned and joined the She-wolf and waited. Janeway realised they were waiting for her, so she stepped forward and they moved ahead of her. The greyness shifted around them becoming a little bluer as light continued to penetrate.

Next she was walking the corridors of Voyager, yet not how she'd seen them over the last few days, but as they'd been on her first tour after officially receiving command of the newly commissioned vessel. The warmth that glowed from the grey bulkheads as they walked and the feeling of closeness and connection to the ship shone around her. The crew however where just shadowy figures in uniform with no real substance to them; yet that changed when the Maquis rebel leader joined her, Tuvok and the She-wolf. She couldn't see him, but she knew and felt his solid warm presence beside her. One by one the crew throughout the ship manifested themselves, even ones who'd been lost on their long journey. As she walked the feelings of warmth, friendship and family wrapped itself around her. Both Neelix and Kes were there also. On reaching the bridge she hoped to see her XO smiling at her as they took their command chairs, but he remained out of view, only the white She-wolf stayed in sight.

"You are not **my** spirit guide," she told it. On closer inspection though she saw the little lizard she'd first encountered, when Chakotay had introduced her to a vision quest. The creature sat snugly on the wolf's head. On looking round the bridge she realised one person was missing...

"Seven?" the scene around her darkened, leaving only the She-wolf and the lizard next to her and yet the presence of both Chakotay and Tuvok stood at her shoulders, one either side and behind her. The ex-Borg female stood gazing at Janeway with ice-cold blue eyes, alternating between her semi-human form and full Borg.

"Captain," her voice sounding echo-y, almost Borg-like.

"No. Not Borg. No!"

"Captain," the voice said again. "Captain Janeway. Please respond."

Kathryn was jolted fully awake by Seven's voice through the com-system.

"Janeway here, Seven. What is it?"

/\ There is something I think you should see. Please report to Astrometrics. Seven out/\ with that she closed the channel.

Janeway sat there trying it re-gather herself together, feeling the remnants of the dream staying with her, as vivid as when she'd been living it. Closing her eyes she saw only the She-wolf watching her with her all-knowing and patient yellow eyes; then she was gone, leaving Kathryn feeling alone again. Seven's summons couldn't be ignored, thus she left her bed to dress and make for the female's domain.

In the turbo-lift she found her thoughts dwelling on her dream and then Seven's words.

"Computer; halt turbo-lift," she commanded. Captain Kathryn Janeway stood there and re-called Seven's summons because that was exactly what it was a polite command to enter Seven's domain. "Welcome to my parlour, said the spider to the fly," she softly quoted, feeling her anger growing. 'Who was this young female to order her around?' she questioned herself, thinking back on all the times Seven of Nine had done something similar. "But that's in the past, surely?" frowning at her own thoughts. "Why didn't I listen to **him**? Both of them?" she said sadly, getting her anger under control once more. "Computer resume," she ordered.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

He'd spent most of that afternoon going over the pictographic's, puzzled by their messages to him. Using one of the hover bikes, he'd taken a closer look at the main totem pole. On the back of the wolf head he'd discovered a little lizard, looking for all the world as if it had just scampered up there to enjoy basking in the afternoon sunshine. Although all the poles had been beautifully and expertly carved none had been painted with any of the normally bright colours one would expect from this type of large totem pole, all were just the natural naked wood.

That night Chakotay was visited by his Spirit guide/nagual, something that hadn't happened in a while. Within his vision world the pictographic's took on an over large proportions as they lined up in his dream world.

_1-'Pearl's of Wisdom'; 2-'What needed can be found-if one seeks not what desired'; 3-'White fire burns cold'; 4-'Trust earned gives freely, Trust demanded-empty'; 5-'Grey walls hold life safe'; 6-'Hart protects'; 7-'Journey and discovery'._ What they meant still eluded him, yet as he wrestled with the problem a voice whispered through his mind like a soft summer breeze and then she stood before him.

/Hello/ she said quietly and smiled.

"Kes," he breathed surprised by her presence. "You know what those mean?" he asked pointing to the picture symbols.

/Do I? I do not think so. They are speaking to **you**/ she gently told him. /Come/ holding out her hand to him. /**You** have nothing to fear. Please/. He looked from her face to her hand and back again, and then clasped her hand firmly. It felt warm and full of life in his.

Suddenly he was somewhere else, but he couldn't at first fathom where, for it was nothing but a dark void.

/Listen/ her voice advised him. Although he could not see her, her hand squeezed his telling him she was still with him. Slowly the void was filled with soft electronic beeping noises and the darkness abated, thus he realised he was back on Voyager in Astrometrics. Surely the place should have been dark; having been shutdown for a full maintenance check, but there was Seven working furiously at the main console in the brightly lit area as usual. He felt more than saw that something was about to happen. Then the doors opened and in walked a female, but not just any female.

"Kathryn," he whispered, his heart pounding in fear for her rather than himself. "KATHRYN," his mind screamed urgently.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Meanwhile on Voyager, Janeway had almost reached section 29 on deck 8 when a voice she knew well called her name.

"Chakotay?" she whispered, halting in the normal lit corridor. Janeway frowned, wondering if she was reliving her dream again; about to step forward when a second word screamed in her mind. 'Scorpion'. Dazed she stood still and looked around herself; stepping back toward the nearest computer panel, she enquired as to who had authorized the power in that section to be reinstated.

#Seven of Nine.#

"Did she indeed," Kathryn muttered and quickly using her command codes ordered a complete shutdown; which was to included cargo-bay 2 with life support on grey mode in that area, as was the rest of the ship's systems. She heard someone curse from within the powered down Astrometrics. Janeway decided to wait in the corridor; she felt a familiar presence of two males standing at her shoulders – yet she knew both were on the planet surface. She didn't have to wait long for Seven to emerge from Astrometrics, blue eyes flashing angrily.

"Captain Janeway," she said in that usual tone of hers, coming to a halt on seeing the woman standing in the empty corridor alone.

"So what is it you wanted me to see?" she asked carefully, sure of her place on **her** vessel. "Nothing to tell me?" she questioned, feeling the two males close ranks with her bolstering her confidence. "ALL systems were put on grey mode for a reason, Seven. Only the Chief Engineer or myself can reverse that command. Therefore would you like to explain to me why you were using Astrometrics on **full** power?"

"I was checking some of our scanner readings of this planet," she responded slowly. Janeway's expression questioned those words.

"You could have done that at your own work station, Seven." They silently appraised each other over the short distance between them.

/**You** – Kathryn have nothing to fear here/ said the soft voice she'd known well in the past and again in her dreams, her command team still standing solidly behind her. Janeway realised that one person did have something to fear and she was standing before her, young, blonde and arrogant.

"Security report to deck 8 section 29, escort duty," she ordered through her comm-link.

/\ Acknowledged, Captain. /\ It wasn't long before a team of four males appeared, two from each direction. The leader nodded to their Captain.

"Ensign; escort Seven of Nine to her alcove. I'll join you shortly."

"Yes, Ma'am," the Ensign said and the four frog marched Seven away down the corridor back to cargo-bay 2. The blonde had glared at the Captain as they'd passed each other, but that was all. "Janeway to Doctor. I require your sleep remedy, ASAP. Janeway out," not waiting for a reply or acknowledgement and went to cargo-bay 2.

The Doctor soon joined her there frowning puzzled.

"Captain?" he questioned, noting the four security personnel standing close to an angry looking Seven of Nine.

"It has come to my notice that there maybe something on this planet that could adversely affect Seven of Nine," she informed him, not taking her eyes off the blonde female; whose blue eyes burned with a cold white fire. "Therefore it would be wise if she stays here regenerating," she said giving the Doctor a knowing look.

"Very well, Captain," he said stepping toward Seven and indicating that she step into her alcove, the loaded hypo-spray hidden from the blonde's view.

"You are mistaken," her voice cold.

"Seven, please," his voice gently persuasive. She looked at him, knowing he could not be influenced by anything not unless his programme had been altered; yet she had made sure that couldn't happen after the episode with the Equinox and Ransom. "This will only be for the duration of our stay here." Reluctantly she stepped into her alcove and prepared for regeneration. The computer set the time and took over, thus she didn't feel the hypo-spray's sting as it administered the drugs into her system. The EMH also altered the alcove's programming to slow her functions to just above full cryo-status, along with shutting down her memory centres. He stepped back and gazed at the young sleeping female.

"Ensign you and your team are dismissed," the Captain ordered.

"Yes, Ma'am," he responded, the four relaxing a little.

"Had shore leave yet, Ensign?" she asked him with a pleasant smile.

"We all have, Captain," he said warmly. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it too," he added; then he and his team departed.

Janeway and the Doctor looked at Seven in her alcove.

"How long will she be able to stay like that?"

"As long as needed," he said. "She'll awaken as if from a normal eight hour sleep cycle; once the ship is back on full power."

"Thank you, Doctor," her tone sad. They left cargo-bay 2 together leaving Seven alone, oblivious to everything going on around her, including the menacing voice that called her by her former designation.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Chakotay found himself drawn back into his vision world, Kes' hand still warm and alive within his. She smiled at him and he knew she was about to leave.

"Kes; did **you** make it home?" he asked quietly.

/Maybe/ smiling warmly, knowing he was really asking about Voyager's journey. /You understand now?/ she asked him gesturing to the picture symbols.

"I think so," still a little unsure, holding onto her hand. "White fire burns cold," he read softly from one of the 'Pearls of Wisdom'. "Stars do burn with a white fire, yet most are yellow stars that give heat and warmth; like Earth's sun, Sol."

/True. Add them to the totem/ she advised quietly.

"Grey walls hold life safe," he read next. "Voyager!" he exclaimed startled, looking at the young elfin figured woman beside him. "Kes; this totem is Voyager, isn't it?"

/Are you asking or telling?/ she quipped warmly.

"You're not going to say, are you?" he smiled resigned.

/Does your nagual always give you the answers?/ smiling with him; he shook his head.

"No, she doesn't. 'Trust earned gives freely. Trust demanded – empty," his face clouded at the memory. Kes squeezed his hand in gentle comfort.

/Maybe they will give the trust you deserve/

"I hope so, Kes," he sighed, moving to the next set of symbols. "Journey – discovery."

/Has this journey led to discoveries?/ He thought about that, remembering first about Lieutenant John Kelly's data and some of the planets they'd encountered; new friends and enemies. Yet he knew the biggest and real journeys and discoveries were within not without. Kes smiled at him warmly, knowing his thoughts. She pointed out the next symbol. /Hart protects/

"Heart?" puzzled.

/Remember the totem/ she whispered; yet it was the image of the White Stag poised for flight within the dark trees that came to his mind.

"H, **a**, r, t; not h,**e**,a,r,t," he said softly, reliving the remembered awe at the sight of the dynamic creature. "What needed can be found – if one seeks not what desired," he sighed deeply.

/Give it time, Chakotay. You will know and understand/ she advised him. He stood there holding her hand, his dark eyes on some distant point that only he could see. /One's heart can be deceptive in what it thinks it needs/

"It could be a desire, instead?" he smiled sadly. "Thank you, Kes," turning to fully face her and reached for her other hand, which she willingly gave him. "May your journey continue to be a pleasant and safe one," he told her. Smiling gently she reached up and forward and kissed him softly.

When Chakotay opened his eyes again, he knew she would not be there, yet he felt her close as he drifted back into physical slumber within the tepee.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

For the first time, Kathryn Janeway decided to join her crew for breakfast, out of uniform. Thus at first no-one realised it was her, until Chell served her.

"CAPTAIN!?" he exclaimed, halting the bubbling talk around them. "Er… Pleasure to see you…er, mm, Captain. Breakfast?" he said nervously. She smiled a sunny expression that lit up her whole face.

"Please and black coffee."

"As always," Chell smiled, relaxing a little as he served up a helping of the day's breakfast meal along with a mug of black coffee. He ushered her to a seat in the glowing morning sunshine. "There we are, Captain. You enjoy,"

"Thank you, Chell," she said and smiled again lighting up her face, relaxed and calm. The crew sighed with relief and talk soon bubbled up again. Janeway sipped her coffee which tasted better than she thought it would and the foods – pancakes with fluffy eggs – were a mouth-watering treat. Some of the more adventurous crew spoke a word or two to her as she ate, but for the most part they let her alone.

"Thank you again, Chell," making him jump on returning her empty plate and mug. "Delicious. Have you seen any of the senior staff?"

"Not for a few days, Captain," he responded thoughtfully.

"I saw Harry Kim depart with a few others for a trekking trip. I believe they were going to do some rock climbing, Captain," Kenneth Dalby informed her. "Come on, Chell. Vorik's a pain if I don't get started on time," he chided his blue friend.

"Vorik's in charge of engineering?" she queried.

"At the moment he is, Captain. Lt. Torres set off with her husband, Mike Ayala and Chakotay the first day after we arrived here. Excuse me; CHELL!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," snapped the blue Bolian male. Janeway left them softly smiling to herself; on seeing the science team along with Naomi and Icheb she went over and joined them.

"Good morning, Captain," the young male greeted her.

"Morning, Icheb, Naomi. How are things with you two?" she asked, her eyes drawn to the play of light and shadow on the hills close by.

"Fine, thank you, Captain," said Naomi formally and then asked. "Would you like to see my drawings, Captain?"

"What?" startled a moment. "Yes, Naomi," she said and sat beside the young girl at her table. The drawings of the sun-dancing butterflies captured her interest, along with Naomi's verbal explanations and observations.

"You chatter too much," scolded Icheb playfully.

"I do **not**. Do I, Captain?"

"Perhaps; but that's the joys of childhood. Don't forget; Icheb hasn't really had one," she noted with a smile.

"That's right. Sorry I forgot," grinning at the male. "Where's Seven?"

"Sleeping. Now what else have you discovered for me?" Thus suitably distracted from the subject of Seven of Nine, Naomi regaled Janeway with what over things she'd been doing. Icheb sensing something of a change of attitude toward Seven tactfully didn't bring the subject up again either. He been feeling that the former Borg was hiding something, something very important as to what he hadn't fathomed out yet; as his current studies kept him busy, thus his investigations were slowly dwindling. He only hoped Seven wouldn't do anything to hurt anyone in anyway; Voyager was his family as well as Seven's; he wondered if she knew that, really knew that fact.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Tuvok sat quietly among the red sandstone rocks of the semi-arid desert. He had experienced the same vision as Chakotay, feeling himself standing close to Kathryn Janeway as she dealt with Seven of Nine. He – like Icheb – for the young man had expressed his concerns about Seven to the Vulcan during one of his study sessions; felt that the female might be a threat, especially to the command team, although how he did not know. His medical problem may well hinder his performance in any additional duties, thus he'd have to call on Icheb to keep a discreet eye on Seven.

The desert air had suited his disposition better than elsewhere, sitting in the deep shadow of the tall rocks whilst the morning heat shimmered around him. A dark figure shimmered in the distant heat haze dressed in long flowing robes that hid the person's true nature, but something about the way the figure carried it's self as it walked re-assured Tuvok. The robed figure continued its trek toward him, bowed formally and greeted the seated older male.

"Greetings and long life," spreading his young hand in the Vulcan V symbol.

"Long life, Vorik," he replied in the same manner and bade the male to sit. First the younger man removed his back-pack and then knelt down next to, yet not close to his elder. He quietly laid out the provisions he'd brought; meagre by human standards, but plentiful for the two meditating Vulcan's. Vorik finally handed Tuvok the smallest item a hypo-spray.

"From the Doctor; He said it has the required dosage," he said softly, not seeking for an explanation; something a human wouldn't have hesitated to ask about.

"Thank you," Tuvok acknowledged taking the item and injecting its contents into his neck. "I will return this to the Doctor," he said and pocketed the hypo-spray. "How are thing in engineering?" he asked, taking the bowl Vorik handed him – Plomeek soup.

"Well enough," taking up his bowl and drinking the soup from it. "Lieutenant Torres has been keeping in touch and is pleased that we are currently ahead of her projected schedule," watching the play of light and shadow across the red heat shimmering landscape. "We have been very thorough."

"I'm sure of that, Ensign Vorik," noted Tuvok, having finished his soup. "How is the Captain?"

"Well; last I saw of her, she was taking breakfast with the crew, out of uniform."

"Good," was all he said, yet his tone implied that he was pleased about it, very pleased. The silence stretched between them, which was welcomed by the two Vulcan's as they continued to sit in quiet meditation of their surroundings and each other.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Harry Kim and his troop had enjoyed their trek to the rocky canyon and were looking forward to some real difficult rock climbing. Just as they reached their chosen site a sudden and violent thunderstorm stopped them in their tracks, so they took shelter in some near-by caves. Huddled together without much food and only a little fresh water between them, they tried to keep their spirits up. Harry looked out at the torrential rain as it poured out of the angry dark sky and started to flow like a river in the canyon bottom.

"We'd better put up a barrier before the flow of water becomes unmanageable," he said. Thus all the males moved some of the more manageable rocks to block up the caves entrance way. The females used moss and other dried plants to fill in the cracks. By the time they'd got a credible barrier up all nine of them were soaked to the skin, but at least the barrier was keeping the water at bay and especially as the boys had moved one large flattish up-right rock to deflect most of the running water from pooling into the area directly in front of their chosen shelter.

"So much for enjoying a nice challenging climb and sleeping under the stars," noted a male from security.

"Perhaps," Harry murmured to himself, his expression thoughtful. "Everyone empty their pockets and bags," he said decisively, starting with his own in the light of the fire they'd managed to light-up in order to dry out. "Empty them, **now**!" he ordered, when no one moved.

"You think we've taken something we shouldn't?"

"Jenna, I'm not accusing anyone of anything," he said, still going through his own things. Slowly the others joined in, whilst Kim checked the pockets of the drying clothes. Soon there was a small pile of some sweet berries, nuts, a few herbs and a small semi-glow stone.

"What is that?" someone asked.

"It's mine. I found it," piped up a junior male from Ops, trying to take it from Harry's open hand; he wisely kept it out of the male's reach.

"You do remember our orders about our stay here?" he asked quietly.

"Not to take anything from the planet, or to leave anything from Voyager behind," he intoned dispiritedly, not looking at anyone. "It is so pretty," he added lamely.

"No-one's faulting you for that Mark," said his companion. Harry said nothing for a moment.

"We'd better eat what's here and then get some sleep," he advised. "As for this, I'd better keep it for now." Soon they had eaten their fill and settled to sleep round their fire, whilst the thunderstorm still raged angrily outside.

/Harry/ called a female voice softly.

"Libby," he murmured in response.

/Harry/ the female voice whispered again, a soft smile gracing her elfin features.

"Kes?" he questioned frowning puzzled, in his sleep.

/Use the stone to guide you/ she advised softly. He fished into his pocket and brought the glowing stone out into the open; it pulsed in his hand with a blue glow.

Suddenly he found himself tussling with someone, yelling loudly he tried to fight the person off. He was shaken roughly awake; breathing heavily he looked up at his assailants and helpers.

"You alright?" Jenna asked, kneeling beside him.

"I think so," he said warily, sitting up; again he fished into his pocket and brought out the glowing stone. _'Use it to guide you.' _He stared at it and saw within Kes' soft smiling face.

"Harry?" Jenna questioned worriedly.

"Let's see where this cave leads," getting to his feet.

"You think that wise?" questioned one of the other males.

"I don't know, but it's better than sitting around here at any rate. Let's load up," he ordered decisively closing his hand around the glowing stone and started to gather his personal gear together. The others in the group followed suit, checking carefully that nothing was left behind. Using a couple of largish branches they made two torches to light their way and then dowsed the fire. When Harry - in the lead - brought out the glowing stone it put the two fire torches to shame. It pulsed steadily as they moved toward the back of the cave and the open passageway.

"It looks wide enough," noted James softly feeling apprehensive.

"Not afraid of the dark are you?" his mate from security teased.

"No; it's getting trapped," looking at Harry Kim; who decided to arrange them in such a way that James was in the middle of the line. Jenna was ahead of him and Keith – an engineer- behind him. They also used their climbing ropes to string themselves together in that order.

"Feel better, James?" Jenna asked him once they were ready to go. He nodded nervously; Keith squeezed his shoulder companionably and gave him a lighted torch. Whilst Harry put himself back at the head of the line with the glowing stone and Mark – who'd found the stone – was at the rear; yet Harry had both the start and end of the line that linked them all together.

"Right let's go," he said, holding the stone in front of him.

tbc...


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer see chapter 1.

**Chapter 5**

Chakotay decided to draw the totem's rather than use a tricorder or any other electronic device. Using his journal and a pencil he recorded carefully what he saw, not just in detail, but also his first impressions of the site. A central pole surrounded by seven smaller poles within an area defined by nine logs with the entry way as wide as the logs were long; with five heads making up the central pole, plus the little lizard which could be the artistes signature.

Sitting cross-legged in the entrance he carefully drew each head. First the large Olmec head; he knew this was the oldest culture of the Central American people on Earth, just as Vulcan was the oldest and longest lived alien culture in the Alpha Quadrant and Tuvok the oldest person on Voyager. Mayan panther/jaguar came next; he knew this animal was the most revered - not only by the Mayan's - but also by his own people; as a powerful creature of change. This spirit guide/nagual had often visited him when he needed to face a challenge with fortitude and courage and he rightly held her in awe and fear, this silent black creature. If this head was the panther she embodied protection, hidden emotions, introspection, caution and careful decisions; but if the jaguar, it was known as chaos and a shape-shifter; both powerful creatures in the animal kingdom.

The sun moved round to the west, the wolf head shadow touched him. This was a creature he knew well, fiercely loyal to him as he was to his beliefs and his goals in life. It was also known for its perseverance, success, intuition and spirit. He smiled quietly, for although he agreed only one of those traits was not his – success! The lizard was something of a mystery to him; it could be the artistes' signature, but considering what the rest of the totem meant he didn't think so. He knew this creature traits were conservation, vision, self-protection and hidden defences. There was only one person who came to mind with those qualities, especially to do with self-protection and hidden defences. The eagle's winged shadow filled the entranceway behind him; Aztec the last powerful native culture of Central America and one that had stood in the Spaniards way of their greed for gold. To him the eagle was the messenger of the Great Spirit. This birds trait were divine spirit, sacrifice, connection to creator, intelligence, renewal, courage, illumination of spirit, healing, creation, freedom and risk-taker. Finally the Stag – the Hart, lord of the forest, masculine power of regeneration and signs; its antlers spread like hands reaching up into the sky; he wondered if this world had once had a moon and if those 'hands' would hold it when full; now the moon-white rings shone rainbow-like between those dark drawn hands.

"Rainbow, the promise," he whispered softly, closing his eyes he breathed deep feeling the quiet and spirit of the place fill him; the _'Pearls of Wisdom'_ flittered through his mind. Wisdom or Vulcan logic plus Olmec head. _'White fire burns cold'_; two creatures in the totem were possibly white yet he did not think it meant them, someone or thing else? _'Grey walls hold life safe'_ – Voyager. He smiled with that thought, linking the ship to the Aztec Eagle a bird that flew with the wind currents and thermals, seeming to glide effortless to where it needed to go. Paris was their best pilot and made flying appear effortless, be it a shuttle or Voyager; but Chakotay knew the young man put in as many flying hours as the next man, so he could keep his skills honed ready for any situation that could arise. He also applied that same attitude to his medical duties – just. _'Trust earned gives freely – Trust demanded – empty'_. He grew quietly serious applying this to himself and Starfleet before he'd joined the Maquis. On Voyager here in the Delta Quadrant, Janeway had earned his trust and respect from near the beginning, it had been a little rocky to start with as it had for Tuvok and some of the Maquis, especially Dalby. Chakotay grinned at that memory; all of them had grown in trust, he thought mentally ticking off all nine major members of the crew. He stopped when he reached Seven of Nine, shivering at the thought of her ice-blue eyes – yet it had been to him she'd often turned to for advice on emotional matters. _'Journey – discovery'_; that was now self evident in relation to how far they'd come both as individuals and in their travels through space toward home. _'Hart protects'_. He opened his dark eyes and looked up at the stag head towering above him.

"CHAKOTAY!" the voice broke into his quiet thoughts.

"Here, Tom," he answered, feeling a stiffness in his joints, caused by the cold night air. Paris joined him and helped him gain his feet and put the blanket around Chakotay's shoulders.

"I brought some hot soup. Sit down here," indicating one of the logs near the entrance. Once they were both settled, Tom opened the thermos mug and gave it to the older male, who sipped it gratefully. "Still trying to puzzle it out?" he asked, gazing up at the dark tree tall pole.

"Maybe," he admitted softly, the soup warming him. "That was good."

"There's some more back at camp; including some cookies!"

"Cookies?" he questioned, handing back the mug to Tom. He checked his journal was safely in its special bag hung over his shoulder.

"Yep! Mike went and fetched them from Chell after lunch today. They're really good," his voice telling Chakotay he'd better try one soon, before the others polished them off.

"In that case, we'd better go and get some then," he smiled. They walked back in companionable silence watched by the elfin female.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Janeway had enjoyed her day helping the science team with their many observations of the flora and fauna of the planet; seeking out what was edible for the crew's consumption and what not and for medicinal purposes; thus the Doctor joined them on and off through the day. Chell brought over a small brunch meal for them to share and invited them to come and partake of the evening meal before full sunset.

"What's on the menu tonight, Chell?" Naomi asked.

"You'll have to come and find out," he grinned, good-naturedly and then left.

"He always says that and it always ends up being a 'Cowboy Dinner' as he puts it," pulling a suitable face of displeasure.

"You eat it though," noted Icheb. The look he got in return told him that she wasn't pleased with his observations. Janeway smiled, feeling relaxed for the first time in months; especially since leaving Quarra. That thought stayed with her as she helped to catalogue the data they'd collected thus far.

The evening meal wasn't quite the 'Cowboy meal' that Naomi had suggested, but it was just good catering for all tastes and fads. Most of the crew were present, though none of the senior staff except for herself. Janeway watched them as the feeling that had surfaced at brunch time continued to grow within her. Quarra – she realised – had given her a taster of what life could be like, free from worry, a good job and a man who loved her for herself. Now she wondered if any or all of those feelings were her own or manufactured by the Quarran's drug regime. There was only one feeling that she could be sure of that had been her own – Jaffen; and yet she wondered – watching the crew play games or talking in small groups in the late evening sunshine – could she, would she have fallen for Jaffen on her own terms? It was a question that had continued to crop up from time to time and especially when Chakotay tried to engage her in some off-duty recreation. She had pushed the man and his warm gentle friendship away from her, feeling hurt that he didn't understand.

'_How could he unless __**you**__ explain it.'_ snapped a little voice in her mind. _'How can I explain, when I don't even know what to explain,' _she countered herself, sighing sadly – sipping her drink of Irish coffee. She'd said at the time they'd left Quarra that she'd been glad that Chakotay had come after her and reminded her of her old life, her true life; now with the prospect of the long daunting journey ahead of them, she wondered if she'd made the right choice, especially in relation to Jaffen and Chakotay, even Tuvok.

"Penny for them?" a voice said, startling her.

"Oh; Doctor, sorry I was miles away," she said recognising the male who'd spoken. "What did you say?"

"Penny for them; your thoughts," he repeated quietly.

"They might well cost you more than a penny," she smiled, watching Icheb and Naomi doing puzzles.

"I'm willing to listen, Kathryn," he said tentively, as if testing the waters.

"Thanks, Doctor; but I think I can deal with this on my own."

"I think not, Kathryn. You have been shutting out those closest to you, ever since you returned from Quarra. You **need** to talk to someone."

"I'll decide **that**, Doctor," she snapped cutting across him.

"When and who?" he asked quietly.

"What?" she questioned her mind not really on what he was saying.

"When will you talk? And to whom? I mean really talk about what is upsetting you."

"Doctor!?" exasperated at him.

"Yes, yes, I know there is no official counsellor on board. But there is your family," he said, gesturing to the people playing and relaxing around them. "That is what families are for, are they not; to help one another in times of need and trouble?" he questioned lightly. Janeway had no answer to that knowing he was right and yet she didn't feel as if she belonged anymore.

'_And whose fault is that?'_ her thoughts scolded. _'Mine,'_ she answered herself. She knew she had a dilemma; she knew she should seek help and yet she'd pushed those who'd offered it away from her so often that she wondered, _'Will they still be there?'_ Thus the questions kept spiralling around and around in her mind, as to where to go next, leaving her drained and emotionally exhausted.

"There appears to be no escape route," she admitted softly, but no one heard, as the Doctor had left her side.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The elfin female returned to the ship that had once carried her safely through the cold reaches of the unforgiving void called space. Moving silently through the semi-dark corridors, she noted who was still living within the grey walls and sad to find some were now gone; including her friend and once lover – Neelix, yet she knew where to find him and hoped to visit him soon; she smiled at that thought as she slipped into Cargo bay 2.

She stopped in front of Seven of Nine's regenerating figure, hearing the cold voice that called to the blonde female by her full Borg designation. The elfin female felt the presence below her of the She-wolf and the Hart giving her the strength and courage she needed to do what must be done. Breathing deep she stepped up and into Seven of Nine, leaving the area strangely quiet and empty, even the Borg Queen's voice was now silent.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Outside with the sky darkening, the crew drifted off to their sleeping areas, leaving Janeway feeling even more alone than before. Soon the moon-white rings shone across the sky above her as the quiet of the early night wrapped itself about her small petite figure. Deciding to go to her own quarters, she saw something in the shadows beneath the ship, a flash of white. Janeway stood very still looking carefully into those deep dark shadows. A snort and a stamp of a foot reached her alert ears, yet her eyes picked out a pair of yellowish eyes gazing at her steadily. Those patient eyes moved toward her to reveal the white She-wolf from her dream, yet this creature was no mere dream as it stood gazing at her, its white fur gleaming in the moon-white rings light. Again a sharp sound caught her ears and the She-wolf disappeared back into the deep shadows along with two other shadowy shapes.

Kathryn Janeway blinked dazed unsure if what she'd seen was real or just the play of light and shadow on an over active and tired imagination.

"Captain; bed," ordered a voice she knew well. Without hesitation she returned to the ship, smiling resigned at the EMH on her way to her quarters and bed.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

How long or how far they'd come, the group of nine had no way of measuring the passage of time. James was grateful to be in the middle of the line with a fire torch, yet he still felt panicked at times; both Jenna and Keith reassured him. At the back end of the line Mark held the other fire torch and yet he watched the blue glow of the stone in Harry Kim's hand at the head of the line.

The blue light lit up the cave walls and rocky passage around them, throwing up some strange shadows as they walked quietly saving their strength for whatever lay ahead in the semi-silent and dark place. The light glinted off water and crystal formations within the cave walls. It was the sound of running water that soon reached their straining ears, as the passageway opened a little wider allowing them to walk more comfortably and also disappeared into the dark shadows above their heads. A fast flowing stream of clear rushing water joined their path, yet their feet were still dry. The noise of the water suddenly roared as it dropped over a lip and plunged downward in the passage ahead. It wasn't long before they too reached that sheer drop and they stopped to take in the sight ahead of them.

A huge cavern opened up in front of them, filled with stalactites and stalagmites in various shapes and forms, but that was not all; lights in window shapes dotted the cavern walls, a blue/white colour rather than the warm yellow of firelight. Sound filled the cavern air, high pitched and squeally along with what sounded like canvas flapping in the wind; only there wasn't any wind.

"Dowse the torches," Kim ordered softly as the pitched squeaking grew in volume, making it hard to hear anything else, even oneself. Thus only the blue/white fire of the stone continued to glow and the pitched squeaking lessened; as their eyes adjusted to the lack of yellow light, they could see in more detail the cavern around them. Here too in the huge cavern - like in the passageway they'd traversed – the light glinted off the crystal formations within the cavern walls and the stalactites and stalagmites made columns. Kim held the stone aloft as they made their careful way down a narrow path that clung to the sheer sided cavern wall; a path made by many feet, small feet, they realised as they traversed down the path's incline. All the while the flapping canvas sound rang around them, echoing off the walls, along with the pitched squeaks and squeals. Soon they reached a level and wide platform that appeared to lead no-where, except to leap out over the stalagmites several feet below. Harry found a lantern holder and put his glowing stone within and waited. They didn't have to wait long as the flapping sound drew nearer and then alighted on the edge of the platform. The figure drew closer to the lit lantern, whilst the Starfleeter's stood together lined up at the back of the platform area and watched as the figure now stood before Harry Kim.

It stood no taller than a child of 6 to 8yrs old, about 80cm to a meter in height, so Kim knelt down to its level so it didn't have to crane its neck back to look up at the human that had entered its realm. Harry realised despite its small appearance this was obversely an elder of its kind.

"I'm Harry Kim from the Starship Voyager. My friends and I are exploring your domain; but we appear to be a little lost," he explained clearly and steadily. The child-like creature chattered a moment in high pitched squeaks and squeals that had the Starfleeter's covering their ears against the assault on their eardrums, until the creature adjusted something on the pendant that hung around its neck.

"Welcome to our humble home, Harry Kim of the Starship Voyager," it responded clearly in human speech. "My apologies for the noise at first; It has been along time since we have greeted ones such as yourselves," it smiled. "I am Elder Newaton," it said, giving Kim a slight formal bow.

"Pleased to meet you, Elder Newaton," he responded in kind and then introduced his eight fellow officers. Newaton bowed to each in turn, acknowledging their presence and name.

"What are you?" asked Jenna softly, a little alarmed.

"Don't look so worried, my dear," Newaton said. "In some of your planet Earth's legends, some would call us Harpies; although we are not," he explained.

"You mean mischievous demons," noted James.

Newaton laughed. "Not at all my human friends. I'm more a humanised version of your giant fruit bat," he chuckled, good-naturedly. "You are more than welcome here. I would suggest that you contact your friends so they know where you are. You won't be able to use your own equipment though," he smiled again his face wizened with age, much like that of a bat. "Come you must be tired. We'll give you food and lodging, both to your tastes and then you contact your friends," he informed them. He turned and called to his people, six of whom flew in with a swing-chair dangling beneath them.

"Please it is quite safe," Newaton gestured.

"I'll try, James said.

"I think, Mark ought to go first, James," Keith suggested kindly. The young male unhitched himself from the rope line and sat in the dangling chair; he grinned as he was lifted up and out over the stalagmites several feet below and then disappeared from sight. Two more swing chairs appeared from the gloom; Keith and James took these. Soon all the Starfleeter's had left the platform via the swing chairs; the last was Harry Kim. First he picked up the glowing stone from the lantern and took the chair down with Newaton flying beside him.

"What do you call yourselves?" he asked politely.

"Pedtra," the elder replied and alighted close to where Harry's chair touched down. "Food and drink for our human guests!" he called commandingly, causing the gather crowd to disperse, except for the curious children.

The Starfleeter's took in all around them towering over their unusual hosts. With the shinning lights coming from the dwellings around the rock face, they could see quite a bit and they realised that Newaton was right, these people were humanized large Giant Fruit bat creatures and no taller than a small child; thus their children were the size of Giant Fruit bats of Earth. One youngster decided to fly up to Mark's shoulder.

"Hello!" the voice soft and feminine.

"Oh, hello!" Mark responded startled; the youngster looked at him with open curiosity. "You're a bold one," he noted with a smile.

"What is your name?" she asked calmly.

"Mark. What is yours?" he asked politely in return.

"Her name will not translate into your language easily," said Newaton, standing at the male's feet.

"I see," Mark noted sadly, for her voice had reminded him of his younger sister, whom he hoped to contact soon via Pathfinder.

"Grandpa; can he not give me one, please?" she asked softly, from her perch on Mark's shoulder.

"I don't see why not," he responded, kindly.

"What would you like to call me, Mark?" she asked respectfully.

"That is easy. Little Blue. It is my sister's pet-name as she is called Sapphira."

"I like. Thank you. You miss your sister?"

"We all miss our family and friends that we left behind on Earth, Little Blue," Kim interceded. "But we've learnt to forge new friendships among the crew of Voyager," he added gently, smiling at Mark, whom he knew missed his family terribly.

"An extended family; beautiful," she responded stringing out the last word.

"Come, eat and drink, please" Newaton urged leading them toward a large low table loaded with many fruits and vegetables, along its length.

"Cmdr. Chakotay would enjoy this sort of fayre," grinned Keith, sitting down next to James.

"Don't worry my friend; we will take you to the surface soon," Newaton assured him, having noted the male's undisguised apprehension. "Please eat."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The following morning at the tepee, nothing and no one stirred from inside the conical tent. Outside the cooking fire smouldered with dark red embers sending small trendels of blue wood smoke up into the quiet early morning mist. Suddenly something thrashed about in the nearby bushes shattering the quiet. Inside the tepee Chakotay sat up startled, wondering what had woken him, hearing angry snorts and a strange bellow. Mike Ayala joined him in the centre of the tepee, listening as intently as the Amerindian.

"What is it?" asked Tom's voice, peeking out of his sleeping quarters and looking up at the two standing males. A loud squeal and a snort precluded any reply as all hell was let loose outside.

A half dozen wild pigs being chased by a big aggressive male boar charged through their camp, knocking everything flying in all directions, including the campfire. The three males tried – unsuccessfully – to chase the boar and pigs away, yet they just kept going around and round in circles causing more havoc and mess.

B'Elana stayed quiet within the tepee, yet she soon found herself face to face with the big male boar. He grunted at her which made her Klingon side really come to the fore and she growled back; her voice and stance were too much for the big boar and he left the way he'd arrived, calling to the others as he disappeared into the surrounding bush.

"What did you do?" Paris asked breathlessly, half standing his hands on his knees, trying to get his breath back. "Use your Klingon charms?" he teased, having met her outside the tepee.

"Something like that," she said calmly and then noted that Chakotay was in some difficulty. He was lying on the ground flat on his back, arms wrapped across his chest. It was only as she stood over him that she realised he was laughing.

"What is so funny?" she growled, scowling down at him, as more laughter erupted from the floored male. "Lost your tongue?" she snapped. He could only nod his reply as more giggles escaped him, dark eyes sparkling with merriment as laughter continued to rack his torso. "I don't know," standing hands on bulging hips. Behind her Tom and Ayala saw to the scattered cooking fire making sure any embers were put out. As B'Elanna watched, Chakotay breathed deeper to calm himself, closing his eyes, he relaxed and wiped at the wetness around his eyes and cheeks. Sighing deeply he rolled over to a sitting position before finally getting to his feet. He grinned at Torres, who responded a little puzzled.

"The idea of **you**," he had to stop and stem the rising tide of giggles. "Of **you,** giving that boar the benefit of your, Klingon charms!" grinning.

"Don't think it's just you, Lanna. He started laughing about ten minutes into this riot," Tom said, stacking up the scattered bowls. Chakotay's grin grew wider.

"If we're not careful, he'll be rolling around on the floor again," noted Ayala, with a grin of his own, having checked that the hover bikes were ok. B'Elanna smiled at her big friend and took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze.

"We'd better get this mess tidied," she said, surveying the scattered items.

They'd been sorting things for a good, five to ten minutes when Tom noted that Chakotay was taking a breather, leaning one handed against a tree trunk whilst the other rubbed his rib cage on the left side of his torso. Finding his medical tricorder, he joined the male and gave him a once over.

"It's nothing, Tom," trying to hide the pain. "Just a stitch that's all."

"Nothing my foot. You stay there," he ordered sternly, his tone alerting the others to the problem.

"Too much laughing, Chakotay?!" Mike quipped good-naturedly, yet he was worried. Paris returned with his med-kit, his face serious as he extracted the item he required.

"Now stand still and try to breath regularly and not to deeply," he said, checking with his tricorder. Torres came over and held it for him pointing at the area of Chakotay's torso that her husband indicated. "You've damaged your spleen. It hasn't ruptured, but it could do so, if I don't do something now," he explained as he worked the surgical tool. Tense silence surrounded them whilst Tom Paris worked carefully, keeping an eye on the tricorder readings. The surgical tool was soon returned to the med-kit; he took the tricorder and checked the newly healed area. "You'll live," closing the tricorder. "You'd better rest and after breakfast we'll transport you to sickbay and the Doc," he said, having packed away his med-kit. "Mike could you bring out B'Elanna's chair?" The dark male went into the tepee without a word. Tom looked at Chakotay his expression serious. "It was all that running around after those pigs," he noted, trying not to grin. The older man smiled quietly, trying not to rub the sore area; then Ayala returned with the chair and thus his two male friends helped him to settle into it, his blanket tucked around him under the shade of the surrounding trees. Chakotay reflected that he wasn't a young man anymore as he lay on the lounger feeling tired.

Ayala started to gather their belongings together, ready to be transported back to Voyager and reflected that they had really spread themselves. Tom and B'Elanna sat at the re-established cooking fire, yet they kept a discreet eye on their big male friend whilst he dosed.

Hidden within the trees, three pairs of wary eyes watched also. The golden yellow pair made to move forward, whining softly in its throat.

/Not yet, my friend. I do understand/ the elfin female said. /Soon, my friend very soon./ she assured the white She-wolf, who again whined quietly, anxious for the tattooed male. The Hart snorted, brown eyes concerned also, watching as the three friends in the camping ground made sure their injured companion was comfortable and fed. Then he and the pregnant female vanished in the blue haze of an emergency beam-out.

tbc...


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer see chapter one.

**Chapter 6**

In Voyager's sickbay the EMH dealt with Chakotay first, giving him a booster shot to aide his immune system to fight off any infection and help the healing process.

"You rest, Commander," he encouraged, watching a moment as the male gratefully closed his eyes and slept. "Now your turn, Mother-to-be," he teased softly. B'Elanna scowled, yet allowed him to give her a thorough medical and check over her growing daughter.

"Well, clean bill of health for you both," he announced when he'd finished.

"Chakotay?" she questioned softly, watching the sleeping male.

"He'll be fine. Mr. Paris did a fine job in the repair of his spleen. He also appears to have caught up on his sleep which is good. He just over did it; not good for a man of his age. So what was he doing?" he asked casually.

"Chasing wild pigs!" she grinned. "Out of our camping site not hunting," she clarified.

"I see!" frowning.

"May I go and check engineering whilst I'm here?" she asked hopefully.

"You may. I'll keep an eye on his majesty here," he quipped; making the young woman roll her eyes at him and then left. The Doctor checked the bio-readings and other vitals of his patient and noted that the male was responding to the prescribed treatment and was sound asleep; thus he went to his office and wrote up his report and sent it directly to the Captain.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

She'd spent most of the morning catching up with the daily reports of the usual mundane items that took place on a star-ship; thus she was relaxing in her quarters when the Doctor's report came through. First had been Torres' clean bill of health for both mother and her unborn daughter and then Chakotay's. Kathryn read it twice just to be sure of what it told her. Picking up her half full coffee cup she wandered over to the view ports and gazed out at the brightening day. She wondered whether to visit him in sickbay; the Doctor hadn't said either way, so she asked the computer for Torres whereabouts.

#Lt. Torres is currently in main engineering.# she was informed; it made her smile.

"I should have known," she admitted to herself, putting her coffee cup for recycle she left her quarters to join her Chief engineer. As the turbo-lift took her down to deck 11, she reflected it didn't seem all that long ago as to when she'd last been to the area to work with the half-Klingon pregnant female.

"B'Elanna," she said by way of greeting, alerting the seated female to her presence.

"Captain," Torres responded. "All appears to be in order here. Repairs should be completed as per my schedule," she announced and frowned at the PADD Gilmore had given her. "Except for the dilithium stores."

"How bad?" the Captain asked.

"Bad enough; we might have enough to last another few months. Without access to a fully equipped star-base we have to rely on our dilithium supplies. Bother, I was hoping…" she trailed and cursed. Janeway pretended not to hear.

"Dilithium crystals should last at least a full five year mission. Under normal conditions," noted Marla Gilmore.

"True. Our being out here in the Delta quadrant is anything but normal," B'Elanna sighed. "Every time we think we find a suitable supply of energy and crystals to stock up, we end up depleting it, because the source isn't what we thought it was. Remember the nebula, which turned out to be a creature?"

"Do **I**?" she smiled. "No coffee!" grinning.

"Maybe something will turn up here," Marla said hopefully.

"Get some breakfast, Marla," Torres said her voice resigned. The ex-Equinox human female nodded her thanks and left.

"How's Chakotay been?" Janeway asked quietly.

"He's in sickbay. Why don't you visit?"

"Not for the moment. Reports to complete," she responded; yet her voice betrayed that she was using that as an excuse to avoid the man.

"They can wait, Kathryn. Your friendship with Chakotay can't," her tone understanding.

"Are you planning to return to your camping?" the woman asked instead; so Torres let the subject drop as well.

"Possibly; provided the boys have tided up the mess some nosey neighbours left," grinning at the memory of the big boar taking off, after she'd growled at him.

/\ Bridge to Captain. /\

"Janeway here," she acknowledged – relieved at the interruption.

/\ Incoming message from Ensign Kim, Captain. /\

"Put it through to engineering," she said turning to the communications console and opening the link. Harry's face appeared on the screen. He appeared to be in a cavern of some sort.

"I thought you were going climbing not pot holing, Starfleet!" she teased with a smile.

"I'll explain about that later, Maquis," he responded with a smile. "My group will be returning to the ship very soon with some new friends," he paused and smiled at someone off-screen. "We'll also be bringing these," he said and held up a glowing stone.

Torres leaned closer to the screen. "Is **that** what I think it is, Starfleet?" her eyes alight with the same blue/white glow of the stone he held.

"Yes, Maquis," grinning at her. "I'll explain when we see you. I hope the Commander is close at hand too. See you soon. Kim out." With that the screen blanked out.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

In sickbay Chakotay stirred in his sleep, muttering to himself. Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he sat up abruptly.

"Easy, Commander," the EMH cautioned.

"Dilithium crystals," he said, puzzling the holographic medic. "A white fire that burns cold," shaking his head as he swung off the bed.

"Commander?" he questioned puzzled even more by what he'd heard.

"Sorry, Doctor. A riddle I've been trying to figure out."

"Not that strange structure the sensors discovered and that the computer couldn't identify?"

"Yes, Doctor. Now I'd better find B'Elanna."

"Not so fast," restraining the male. "I'm not suggesting that you cannot leave. Just slow down, no running, etc," he advised, noting the relief on the man's face. "You'll find Lt. Torres in **her **domain," he said. Chakotay smiled, knowing where that would be.

"Thanks Doctor," he said earnestly and left at a gentle walking pace.

"**Don't run,**" followed him out of the doors into the corridor outside, making him smile as he'd been about to do just that – run. As he walked to the nearest turbo-lift the female he sought contacted him, via com-link.

"Nice to know you're awake. I'll see you outside at Chell's kitchen. We have some good news from Harry. See you there, Big brother. Torres out." Standing there feeling a little lost for a moment he breathed deeply and steadily to calm himself and then continued to the turbo-lift but to transport him to the exit hatch and ground level.

Soon he was outside enjoying the strengthening warmth of the morning sun. It felt good to be out in the natural environment breathing in the natural air with all its differing scents, including burning toast. Chakotay smiled as he walked over and alerted Chell to mind his kitchen.

"Not again!?" he cried and went to rescue the burning bread from turning to a cinder, if it wasn't already.

"Grills don't turn themselves off, Chell," he said good-naturedly, having followed the blue male.

"Mores the pity," muttered the Bolian man, yet he grinned happily at the tattooed male. "Some tea?" he asked eager to please his commander and friend. Chakotay shook his head in the negative. He spotted the lone fair-haired female, sitting on her own with a half eaten meal in front of her. "She has been on her own most days, just staring into the blue yonder. I don't think she's made many friends outside of her work in engineering," the blue man said sadly and watched curiously as the Commander walked over to join her.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked quietly, yet still startling the female.

"Er… No, Commander. Please," feeling more than a bit embarrassed.

"I didn't mean to startle you, Marla," he smiled, sitting down on the seat across the table from her. "And please, it's Chakotay. Enjoying shore-leave?"

"Yes, Sir; I mean, Chakotay," she amended, pushing her plate away from her. He wondered how to broach the subject, when she spoke first. "I was thinking about friends who didn't make it and the family we left behind," she sighed. Something about the man made him easy to talk to, she realised, perhaps that was why so many crew ended up at his door with their problems, she thought. "Do you like being a sounding board?" she asked him, startling him a moment.

"Sounding board? Now that's a new one on me," grinning at her. "Someone once asked why I took an interest in 'little' people. 'Little' as in the ones who think they're not important enough to matter and be noticed," his face reflecting something of the memory of who'd asked the question. "Everyone aboard a Star-ship is important and especially in Voyager's case. We're more than a crew, we're more a family," he gently covered her hand lying on the table between them with his own. "A family you are a part of, Marla," he assured her. Gilmore smiled softly at him, trying to blink back the tears that threatened as he gazed at her understandingly. The moment was broken by a young voice:

"Uncle Chakotay!"

"Naomi," he smiled, letting go of Marla's hand after giving it a gentle squeeze and turned to the Ktarian girl-child. "And what have you been up to young lady?" The girl's return expression was rather indignant making Marla laugh.

"Been busy helping the science department with their work of observations of the planet's flora and fauna," she told him importantly.

"In that case you'd better give me a **full** report, Captain's Assistant." Naomi beamed at the male and gave him a detailed account of her activities over the last few days; he listened politely to her chatter, yet he was acutely aware of the woman Marla Gilmore as she watched the child and him. Suddenly she stood up and excused herself hurriedly.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No, Naomi; not at all," he reassured her, watching quietly as the woman fled back to the ship. "Now what did you want to show me?"

"I didn't think you were listening!"

"You should know me better than that, young lady," he teased; thus she took his hand and led him to the glade where the butterflies had danced in the late afternoon sunshine and pointed out the track marks in the glade's centre.

"Wolf and deer; yes?" she asked tentively, as he squatted down beside her and studied the marks. So he hadn't imagined them, he realised, quietly running his hand over the marks. "Uncle Chakotay?" she asked puzzled by his silence.

"Yes; wolf and deer," he confirmed for her. "Can you tell me how big they might be?"

"Well I know the deer must be large as the mark is deep. Male rather than female?" she questioned.

"Male – female?" Chakotay queried, looking at Naomi in surprise.

"Stag and doe, then!" she amended.

"Better. What about the wolf?"

"I'm not sure. It does seem strange that prey and hunter are together; doesn't it?" she said looking up at him, as he stood at his full height.

"Yes, it does," he acknowledged, taking her hand. "We'd better return or your mother will be getting worried about you," he said, letting her lead the way back; her chatter washing over him as he reflected on all that had taken place over the days they'd been on this planet.

"I wonder what this place is called," Naomi said.

"I wonder too," he said softly, feeling warmed by the young female's small trusting hand held within his own large one, as they walked back toward the ship on the flat plain.

At Chell's kitchen – as most of the crew had taken to calling the open-air eating area, under the forward section of the ship – there was quite a crowd. Naomi spotted her mother and went to join her, still holding the Commander's hand.

"Hello, Sam," he said alerting the woman to their presence.

"Chakotay," she acknowledged with a smile. "Harry Kim has returned with some unusual friends. They're called Pedtra."

"Pedtra?!" he questioned surprised.

"Commander? Something wrong?" Sam Wildman asked him, worried by his tone of voice. Before he could think of a suitable reply; Mark came over and joined them with a large bat-like creature flying over Mark's head. The creature landed on the ground in front of Naomi who stood at the same height.

"Hello; I am Naomi Wildman, Captain's assistant. Who are you?" she asked, making the adults around her smile.

"I am Elder Newaton of the Pedtra. Pleased to meet you Naomi Wildman," he responded pleasantly and gave her a gentlemanly bow. "You must be this pleasant young lady's mother?" he said looking up at Sam. She then knelt down to his level beside her daughter.

"Yes I am, Elder Newaton. Ensign Samantha Wildman. Nice to meet you," holding out her hand; he took it and kissed the back of it making Naomi giggle.

"You're nice," she said smiling at the wizen creature. The Pedtra looked up at the large male who towered above him and hadn't so far spoken and flew up to be at face level. The tattooed male surprised them all by gently taking hold of the creature around his waist which effectively halted his hovering-wing movements.

"Let's take a seat," he suggested and moved to the near-by table, still holding Newaton whom he set down on the table end whilst he sat on the bench seat. "My apologies, Elder Newaton," he said. "I think this will be a more comfortable way to talk," he explained.

"Indeed!" Newaton responded his surprise and startled expression clearing. "You **are** Chakotay?" he asked noting the open feathered tattoo over the male's left eye. Carefully he reached out with his finger and traced the blue/black lined pattern etched on the man's solid face. The others watched puzzled by these two's reactions to each other. Chakotay sat there inwardly amused at his crew-mates astonishment which carefully observant of Newaton's responses.

"Cha-moo-zee."

"Cha-moo-zee," said Newaton plus a string of other words that none understood his eyes bright with joy.

"I never learnt to speak the ancient tongue of my people, properly," he confessed with a soft smile.

"Ah! I see," he grinned at the big male. He then produced something from a pouch and gave it to the tattooed man. It was shaped like a PADD but it was made of wood and carved with an intriguing pattern on both sides.

"Wolf, Hart," he read.

"Wolf heart, Commander?" quizzed Mark.

"Not heart," putting a hand over his own.

"Hart as in h,**a**,r,t. A white stag!" said Sam Wildman. Naomi looked sharply at Chakotay wondering about the track marks in the butterfly glade, but he was reading the rest of the oblong carved wooden PADD.

"Hunter and prey, that winter protects. Two together – yet knot. Entwined – yet not tied. Free flying and always together," he read softly.

"You read that?" Newaton asked startled.

"Can you not read this?" he asked puzzled, feeling that he had a final piece to the puzzle but wasn't quite sure where or how it fitted in.

"The ability to read the ancient tongue has been lost to the Pedtra since the First Ones were last here. Could you teach me to read it?" he asked eagerly.

"Elder Newaton; Perhaps Little Blue could learn. No offence, but time is short and a younger mind could take it in more readily," said Mark.

"Wonderful idea," Newaton enthused. "Will you?" he asked the tattooed male, who smiled and nodded his assent. "Good, good. You are close to the pole ring? Yes?"

"Yes. I still have some research of my own to finish there."

"Fine; I will instruct, Little Blue to meet you there. Now I must fly. Pleasure to have you here," and with that he flew off into the blue yonder.

"Pole ring, Commander?" asked Sam.

"Totem's," he replied, his fingers tracing the pattern on the wooden PADD.

"Can I go with you, please?" her expression earnest. Chakotay looked at Sam, a pointed question in his dark eyes.

"Alright, Naomi; But you'll do as Cmdr. Chakotay tells you, understood?" her voice firm. The little female grinned broadly.

"You'd better pack some clothes together, for both day and nightwear, plus your observation pad," he said.

"Yes, Sir; what time, please?" Her voice eager; Mark was surprised she didn't salute Chakotay like the old style military personnel used to.

"When you're ready." Happily the girl scampered off with her mother trailing her, back to the ship. "Little Blue? Isn't that your sister's nickname?" he asked of Mark, who nodded sadly. "What number did you pull?" he asked quietly.

"Sorry? Number? 120. Not for a while yet," he said sounding miserable, having sat down opposite Chakotay.

"Take mine."

"I couldn't, Sir," startled.

"You can and will, Ensign," he said firmly. "Come to my office as soon as we're back on route to the Alpha Quadrant."

"What about your family?"

"I've been informed that my sister won't be able to make the time slot; if at all," he responded carefully, his face telling Mark that the real reason wasn't up for open discussion.

"Thank you, Chakotay," Mark said sincerely.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Amidst the tall red sandstone butts two dark figures sat meditating, when both became aware that they were no longer alone in the hot dark desert. Neither moved from their meditative poses, yet they reached out with their strong minds to touch and sense what or who was there.

/You are not safe here. Sand eels/ the elfin voice said softly echoing gently in both their minds, touching only their surface thoughts in order to communicate with them. Carefully both males eased their minds out of meditation mode and with sharp eyes open searched the surrounding dimness. Nothing could be seen in the darkness between night and dawn and yet they both sensed something moving steadily toward them. The ground near a large tall butt heaved; both males were now securing their backpacks and putting them on their backs.

"RUN!" shouted Tuvok, feeling the ground beneath his feet tremble. Both males sprinted with speed toward the near-by forested area, which met the red sands and the small river, east of their former position. The ground behind them heaped up like a wave and followed their weaving path at some speed. Both Vulcan's aimed for the wide shallow river basin hoping that the thought of getting wet would at least slow their pursuer down. A deafen roar sounded behind them as the creature surfaced from the sand, as if sensing their purpose and hoping to beat them to it.

Vorik's younger legs pumped hard across the hot red sands his breathing now labouring in his young lungs, yet his thoughts were for his older companion, knowing that if he was in difficulties then the older male certainly was. Again a roar coursed through the twilight air as Vorik reached the water filled basin of the shallow river; thus he took a quick look around and saw the giant head of the creature, all mouth and teeth on the end of a serpentine body raising itself out of the ground. In front of the creature lay a sprawled Tuvok, who was trying to gather his body together to spring forward again. Even in the dimness, Vorik knew something was wrong.

Suddenly a new sound spilt across the darkness, the howl of a lone wolf, it was answered by others who soon came running out of the forest. They silently sped passed Vorik and rushed at the rearing Sand eel harrying it, whilst a big white She-wolf, plus two others pulled at Tuvok's clothing. Having found his second wind and keeping a wary eye on the pack around the thrashing Sand eel, he went to help Tuvok. With the combined strength of himself and the three female wolves they were able to pull the older Vulcan to safer and harder ground across the river.

The Sand eel roared its frustration at loosing its meal as the wolves continued to harrie it away from the two Vulcan's. The White She-wolf licked Tuvok's face whining softly encouraging him to return to full consciousness. He opened his eyes and looked up into her golden/yellow eyes.

"Thank you," he whispered quietly. She again licked his face and then she and her contemporaries were gone; melting back into the forest from where they'd come. The Sand eel had also returned hungry to the depths of the red sands.

"Commander?" Vorik asked quietly, helping the older male to sit up.

"I must have stumbled into a small pool of quicksand. Had it not been for you and the wolves help," he didn't have to say more, both understood the consequences. They got to their feet and gazed back over the red sands and the tall red sandstone butts, where they'd spent the last few days quietly mediating.

"We'll have a shorter walk back to the ship if we follow the river," Tuvok said confidently and set the pace. They both disappeared into the forest foliage, just as the sun rose over the red sand desert, casting deeper and darker shadows around the tall shaped butts, silent and empty.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Harry Kim had expected a welcome when he arrived back at the ship but not the welcome he'd got from B'Elanna Torres. She'd given him the tightest bear hug he'd ever received from the small half Klingon woman, he felt as if his ribs had been in a vice; he'd always known that she was strong, but this time her emotions had made her stronger than he'd anticipated.

"Hey Maquis, I would like to breath, you know," he managed to squeeze out.

"Sorry, Starfleet," she said, grinning and letting go of him. She fairly snatched the crystal out of his hand and ran a tricorder over it. "This is the purest crystal, I've ever come across. Please pinch me, I must be dreaming. Ouch!" holding the gem up to the light and glared at the person who'd complied with her request.

"Well you did say!" he remarked smiling. "Newaton told me that they have all that the Pedtra need for many lifetimes over. Thus we can have all that we need."

"I believe Harry that we'd still better take into account the Commander's caution. To take only what we need for our journey," said Janeway softly, having taken some readings herself and realised that Torres hadn't been exaggerating about the crystal's purity. "I can just see Starfleet's questioning of us, if we return with too much of these."

"Understood, Captain; they may think we'd stolen them from the vaults."

"They might at that," she smiled, with the young excited man. She left him and the engineer discussing how to deal with the crystals and where to find them. Kathryn Janeway watched as Chakotay dealt with Elder Newaton and how they'd reacted with each other, but she stayed at a distance not wanting to intrude on his peace. She was pleased to see him looking so relaxed and eager to continue his research. Like him she too was intrigued by the words on the carved wooden PADD; recalling his calm voice read the words: _"Hunter and prey, that winter protects. Two together – yet knot. Entwined – yet not tied. Free flying and always together." _Janeway had a feeling that she should understand what it meant, not just to Chakotay but to her. That thought startled her. _'Why would it mean anything to me?'_ her mind asked. _'My dream and what I saw in the deep shadows last night,' _her thoughts answered. Naomi and Sam Wildman passed her, yet she did not really see them. _'And what did you see?' _she asked herself. "A White She-wolf," she whispered softly, her eyes staring into the middle distance.

Chakotay looked at her puzzled by what he thought he'd heard her say.

tbc-


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer see chapter one.

**Chapter 7**

Chakotay and Naomi transported to the camping ground, bringing some new supplies and a message for Tom Paris with them.

"Wow! You didn't say we'd be sleeping in a tent," the girl-child said, staring wide eyed at the conical tent.

"You didn't ask," he teased with a smile, noting that Ayala had gathered up their belongings, ready for their eventual return to Voyager. "Where is Tom?" he asked of Mike, not seeing the pilot around.

"Over here," came a voice from near the hover bikes. "Where's B'Elanna?" he asked coming into view.

"She's with Harry. Can I look inside?" said Naomi. Chakotay looked at Ayala, who smiled and held out his hand to the girl and led her into the tepee; whilst Paris looked a question at his friend.

"Harry Kim found some friendly residents and some dilithium crystals. She said to tell you, that you could stay here or join them in collecting the crystals."

"I see. And where do I find them? Crystals, Harry and B'Elanna?" he asked.

"At the base of the Triple Tempest Falls."

"You're joking, no you're not?" he said stunned.

"The white fire that burns cold. I think we've been looking at it every night," he said quietly, as Mike and Naomi rejoined them at the camp fire.

"The Moon-rings," said Mike Ayala. Chakotay nodded. They stood in quiet contemplation of all that had taken place since they'd arrived on the planet, until a small female spoke.

"Do you think the Pedtra have a name for their home?" Chakotay's expression said he would explain to the two puzzled males, before he knelt down beside Naomi Wildman.

"Perhaps you could ask Little Blue when she joins us," he suggested. "For now we'd better get some lunch cooking. Like to help?" he asked her. She grinned at him for an answer, so taking her hand he led her into the surrounding trees and bushes to search the natural larder for a meal.

Lunch was a small affair for all of them, yet it was filling. Tom Paris loaded up one of the hover bikes with some of their belongings and returned to Voyager, telling Chakotay he'd probably join Torres and Kim crystal hunting. Once the bike was out of view, they tided the rest of the area, before walking round to the Totem ring. Naomi's first view of the area took her breath away as she stared up at the central pole and its five carved heads, that stood solid and towering above her; even the smaller poles were taller than her small figure.

"Wow! Big isn't it?" she exclaimed trying not to fall over backwards as she gazed up at the totem. Both Chakotay and Ayala smiled at her wide eyed innocence.

"I suggest you sit down here, Naomi," he instructed, patting the log space beside him, whilst he got out his own personal journal to record the totem from the side view. Being security conscious Mike walked round the area whilst keeping a discreet eye on the big male and the girl-child; thus it was he who was first aware of the sound of leathery wing beats. His voice carried, alerting them to the new arrival, which flew in on strong bat-like wings. The creature landed in the entrance way of the ring, carefully folding its wings over its back between the small shoulder blades and then walked over to the three people who silently waited.

"Hello. I'm Little Blue," the small creature introduced herself, her voice sweet and pleasing.

"Hello, I'm Naomi Wildman Captain's Assistant."

"Nice to meet you, Naomi Wildman Captain's Assistant," she smiled, her face more child-like than they were expecting. "You are Chakotay?" she asked softly of the tattooed male.

"I am, Little Blue," he responded pleasantly noting the blue sheen to her otherwise black hair that cascaded down her back. She wore only a simple tabard tunic over her dark skinned slightly furred body that covered her main torso down to her knees, revealing her small bare feet. This Pedtra stood at about 40cm tall, thus she would only reach up to Chakotay's knee, if that, certainly no higher than Naomi's waist.

"You are to teach me the writings of the First Ones?"

"The First Ones?" he questioned frowning puzzled; when Newaton had said the same it had set his mind wondering as to who was meant. Quietly she moved to stand in front of him. Putting his journal aside, he lifted her onto his lap and held her there. She smiled at him with her dark wide eyes.

"The First Ones are like you," she said touching his tattoo.

"The Sky Spirits?" he asked, surprised. She nodded. "They came here?" looking at the totems.

"For a short time; some even stayed, until the others returned, bringing others like you with them."

"From Earth?" queried Ayala, beating his friend to asking it.

"I do not know. We Pedtra did not speak with them much, but we observed and learned. It was they who built this," she informed gesturing to the ring of totems.

"Do you have a name for your home?" Naomi asked into the stunned, ensuing silence.

"You mean the planet's name?" Little Blue questioned softly, Naomi nodded. "It is Tlalli-Erde."

"Which basically means, earth-earth or more likely Double Earth," Chakotay said. "Tlalli is Aztec for earth and Erde is the Germanic for earth," he explained.

"The same as the third planet in the Sol solar system," noted Ayala. "No wonder most of the crew feel at home here." They sat quietly for a moment digesting the information they'd just learnt.

"Little Blue, tell me about the First Ones and those who came with them. Where did they go? Why are they no longer here?" Chakotay asked softly.

"The First Ones returned to their own home, as far as we know. When they came again, they took the descendants of the Inheritors away with them and never returned. As to where I do not know," she said, shrugging her small shoulders, causing her wings to rub together.

"Uncle Chakotay; are not the Inheritors connected to you?" she politely asked.

"Yes, Naomi they are my ancestors. Little Blue how do you know this? You sound as if you saw these events," frowning puzzled at the young Pedtra sitting on his lap.

"Elder Newaton is my Grandfather; he was a small boy the last time the First Ones were here. He learnt about the first time from his father. The Pedtra are long lived, Chakotay," she added with a smile.

"Thank you. Now we'd better get to work or you'll never read the ancient language," he told her. "Naomi I'd like you to draw what you see. Think you can manage that?"

"Yes, Sir," she responded eagerly, putting her drawing pad on her lap and turning to a clean page she started to draw the first head in the central totem. Little Blue moved up to Chakotay's shoulder and sat there as he walked over to the pole he'd first read: _-'What needed can be found-if one seeks not what desired'._ It was the only one he hadn't managed to understand, so far, yet he knew he was close. He took her round all the small poles, carefully showing her how to read the symbols and the words they depicted.

"Pictographs can be read several ways depending on where it is in relation to others in the same passage of text," he said, realising himself, what he was reading from the poles could change depending on his knowledge and experiences in life. He said as much to the little Pedtra female.

"Thus this could be different to someone else? Interesting," she acknowledged quietly as she looked at the text before her. Little Blue looked at Chakotay noting the deep concern in his dark brown eyes. "Yet it speaks to you. Does it not?"

"Yes, Little Blue. It does, very much so; and not just because of the First Ones or the Inheritors. It speaks to me here," he said, putting his hand over his heart. The call of a lone wolf sounded on the wind, echoing round the totem pole ring with the usual mournful sound that most associated with it, yet to one person it sang true.

__________________________________________________________________________

At the ship's landing site the wolf cry sounded on the wind causing most to stop and listen. Many felt the spine tingling fear course through them at the mournful cry, whilst others just shrugged their shoulders and continued their tasks. Janeway listened remembering the large white She-wolf that she'd seen last night and in her dreams and although the spine tingling sensation afflicted her it wasn't fear; and yet if asked she couldn't say for sure what sort of feelings it evoked. Thus she was still looking in the general direction from which the sound had come from, when two familiar figures emerged from the forest following the main course of the stream.

"Tuvok," she whispered pleased to see him and young Vorik walk out of the shadow of the trees. Kathryn stepped forward and greeted them both in the traditional Vulcan manner to which they both responded in kind.

"Good time?" she asked politely.

"Interesting, Captain," Vorik said. He nodded to them both and quietly took his leave and returned to his quarters. Human female and Vulcan male stood quietly together, each contemplating the other.

"When did we last spend some down time together?" she asked pensively, as if afraid of his answer.

"Too long," he responded too quietly for her to hear, having sensed her unease. "Kathryn," his voice more sure; she turned to look fully into his dark skinned face. "Care to share some brunch?" Her genuine smile warmed him.

"I'd loved too."

"I will change first and join you shortly at Chell's kitchen," he informed her as if he was addressing a group of his staff. Her smile broadens, whilst she squeezed his arm in gently companionship. Thus he left for his quarters to freshen up. Janeway sighed, the tension that had been building in her over the last few months – especially since Quarra - easing as she realised that her friends and family were still there for her.

The crew smiled to themselves on seeing their Captain and Security Chief seated together enjoying a small meal and talking quietly about all and sundry. If either noticed the crew's scrutiny they didn't show it. Soon their conversation came round to a subject that had been avoided so far and one that one person wasn't really sure about.

"You should talk to Chakotay, Kathryn."

"I couldn't, Tuvok," turning away from him; he caught her arm in a firm grip, causing her to look at him.

"I'm fully aware of how he has been reacting to your presence. But it is **to him**, **you need **to talk." The emphasis he'd placed on certain words made an impact on Kathryn. "**He **is the only one who can guide you in the matters that trouble you."

"Trouble is, Tuvok. He** is **theproblem or trouble as you put it," smiling resigned.

"Therefore **he** is the best person for **you** to talk to about it," his tone and lack of expression reminding her of the very first time they'd met; a memory that had been so recently evoked via a dream.

"Logical, Mr. Vulcan?" she teased, using Neelix's form of address to the pointed eared male seated opposite her.

"Indeed, Kathryn." The fact that he had been using her given name rather than her rank said a great deal to her, that her smile slipped a little. "I have missed you," he admitted softly.

"I'm not even sure if she is still here," she said softly, her eyes looking down at the table top between them.

"She is," his tone clear and sure. Kathryn Janeway looked up at his face and saw her friend – first – telling her that he'd always be there for her; both for Kathryn and his Captain. Her smile was warm and relaxed, feeling safe in that knowledge. The science team leader invited Janeway to rejoin them, thus breaking the gentle camaraderie between the two senior staff; therefore she didn't see the pain that crossed the male's dark eyes knowing that in truth he – Tuvok, her friend and loyal Starfleet Officer – would **not** always be there in the future.

__________________________________________________________________________

At the Triple Tempest Falls, the deafening roar of the water drowned out every other sound, thus the crew wore ear-plugs to protect their hearing from the constant noise as they worked in and from the carven at the falls base. Although the carven protected them from the main force of the falling water, the fine spray still left them feeling very damp and cold; thus all the teams worked in short shifts of about an hour each; before changing over for a hot meal and a dry.

"Brrr! So much for Starfleet issue wet suits," noted Mark from Kim's pot-holing team. "I feel as though I've had a week's worth of cold showers all in one go," he said, stripping down to his underclothes and rubbing himself dry with the warmed towel.

"Look on the bright side, Ensign; your team will be able to go topside and get warm," noted one of the second team, who was dressing into a dry wet suit.

"What is it like topside?" Mark asked, having wrapped up warm in two layers of clothing.

"Getting near sunset," laughed the other as Mark growled; for that meant it would be cool and getting colder as day turned into night. The male sighed as he exited the work area and joined the others of his shift for the short shuttle ride back to the ship, a hot meal and a warm soft comfortable bed.

In her warm temporary office/hut that the Pedtra had constructed for her use B'Elanna checked the crystals that would be used to aide Voyager's power supply. The deuterium ore that had also been detected in the cavern walls was an added bonus. Newaton had told her that the First Ones had mined some of it for their own use when they'd stopped off on their long space journey.

"Newaton did your planet once have a moon in orbit?" Kim asked the Elder Pedtra.

"At one time, yes. That was until a heavy meteor shower and a damaged Borg cube smashed into it. Creating the rings and this cache of crystals," he informed them.

"The burn off into the atmosphere must have caused some weather havoc," Kim noted. Torres listened as she worked grading the crystals.

"It did. This is why we Pedtra now inhabit these caverns."

"What of those who'd built the totem poles?" she asked, looking up at them both.

"They had gone before then," he said, leaving Kim puzzled. "The Borg has never troubled us here. Not the right technology to attract them." Kim and Torres looked at each other, both thinking the same thing, 'Seven'.

"Anybody at home?" asked a familiar cheeky voice, breaking into the strained silence.

"Yes, Tom," she responded, sounding resigned and tired.

"Not your usual warm welcome. Hi Harry." The younger man grinned in acknowledgement as his friend kissed his wife's cheek.

"Newaton, that is Lieutenant Thomas Paris; B'Elanna's husband, Chief pilot and Medical assistant," Harry told the clearly puzzled Pedtra.

"Oh, I see," he said carefully and then took his leave, using his leathery wings to exit through the dwelling's main window.

"Seen Seven?" Harry asked worriedly.

"No. But Doc told me she's sleeping tight."

"That's a relief," noted Torres. "It appears the Borg have been in the vicinity of this planet, but fortunately not planet side."

"If Seven were awake…" Harry didn't have to finish the thought, all of them knew the consequences and especially after their last encounter with the Borg Queen, who'd want to get even with them or more importantly Captain Janeway.

"Whilst I was with the Doctor we both checked Seven's scanner findings in Astrometrics. Don't look so concerned, we cleared the memory boards once we'd finished. There are Borg nanoprobes in the rings," he said, handing her a PADD with the findings that it effectively stalled any of her rapid fire questions, that his information would have had her shooting in his direction. "But they aren't transmitting the usual Borg directive," Tom said and smiled at her astonished expression; she handed the PADD to Harry so he could see.

"You're right, they're not," his tone excited. "What I don't understand is how. It would require the Pedtra taking a trip into space to alter the probes programming and I don't think that is possible," he noted looking at his friends.

"Newaton mentioned The First Ones as being like Chakotay," her voice thoughtful.

"You mean human?" asked Tom puzzled.

"No; **like** him, the tattoo especially."

"His Sky Spirits, you mean. Hmm, interesting." The silence between them was filled by the ever present and continuous dull roar of the Triple Tempest Falls.

__________________________________________________________________________

Little Blue stayed with the humans in their camp and had revealed much the same information about the lack of moon as Newaton – her Grandfather – had to the others at the Falls. She and Naomi had exchanged experiences as they sat round the cooking fire waiting for the chef to dish up. The latter showed the Pedtra her drawings of the butterflies.

"We call them Sun-dancers. Yet it is better to watch them in the moonlight."

"Why is that?" Ayala asked, accepting his serving of supper from Chakotay.

"Their gossamer wings reflect light in such a way that is very hypnotic."

"So the stronger the light source, the more effective the hypnotist?" noted Naomi. "Why? To what purpose?" Little Blue shrugged, her wings rubbing together.

"Did the First Ones bring them?" he asked quietly handing the small Pedtra child a bowl of the stew, he'd cooked for their supper.

"No, they have always been here. But the meteor shower and the break-up of our moon altered their growth pattern; so they now only take 6 days to fully mature after hatching; although the eggs can lie dormant for two to three years. This is good," she said, tucking into her stew with relish.

"I'm glad you like it," he smiled, as he digested what he'd just learnt about Double Earth, whilst eating his own portion of stew. "The meteor showers, how did you know about it? I'm assuming you have no space travel. What of the Inheritors?" his tone thoughtful.

"You ask many questions," the little Pedtra noted with a smile, making his two companions grin.

"Just one of his many faults," teased Ayala, dodging the playful swipe from his friend.

"The First Ones warned us about the shower and what it was likely to do to our planet's weather systems, as well as our moon. But it was the damaged Borg cube that caused the moon to shatter into the rings you see today. As to space travel, I think we'll leave that to you more adventurous sort," she acknowledged.

"Did any of the shattered moon reach the surface?" Naomi asked, having finished her meal.

"What do you think created the Triple Tempest Falls?"

"Goodness!" was Mike's only comment.

"I don't think I would have liked to be planet-side when they landed; Must have caused a nasty bump."

"That would be putting it mildly, Naomi," he said softly. "The forest fires alone would have been devastating, along with landslides, earthquakes and shockwaves," Chakotay informed them, which had him thinking deeply about the totem poles.

"It is why the Pedtra live in the caverns only. At certain times of the year at dusk to dawn we take to the open skies."

"The wolves and Deer? What of them?"

"They too hid in the caverns for a time until the earth cooled from the fires and started to show new growth; thus they ventured out into the open country again. The sand eels just remained in the red sands."

"Sand eels? Creatures with long serpentine-like bodies, a tail one end and a mouth with all teeth the other?" Mike asked astonished.

"Yes. Not that I have seen them completely."

"Red Sand Eels are native to the hot sand deserts of Vulcan. Believe me you do **not** want to meet one of those creatures close up," he stated. "I've only ever seen one from an aerial view, whilst I was stationed on Vulcan," he added, shuddering dramatically at the memory.

"I won't ask," Chakotay said.

"Uncle Chakotay, could you tell us a story, please?" she asked her young eyes wide with fear from the description of Sand eels and the like, feeling the shadows of the night closing in around them. He held open his arms, inviting her into their comforting circle of warmth and strength.

"What story would you like to hear?" he asked, once she'd settled herself against him.

"New Earth?" she asked hopefully. He smiled seeing the other two eagerly watching him.

"Very well," taking a deep breath he began. "New Earth was the home to two warriors from opposing tribes - the Woman Warrior and the Angry Warrior – yet the two found harmony together. He an inner peace and purpose and she a goal to aim for…" his voice gentle and calm.

"How much of that story was true, Chakotay?" Mike asked quietly, having settled the two very tired youngsters into their warm beds, after the story had reached its natural conclusion. He didn't respond, but just smiled a sad smile and then disappeared into his own sleep area.

"Not true enough," he whispered sadly as he settled down to sleep.

That night his nagual/spirit guide visited him, yet she was not alone, the Sky Spirits were with her. But this was no new visitation; it was more memory, reminding him of what they'd said then, when he'd visited their home planet, and how it fitted now on Double Earth.

The next morning dawned bright and clear, so after breaking fast Chakotay asked Ayala and Little Blue to do an aerial reconnaissance of the area, between the falls, their campsite and the totem poles.

"You'd better show Little Blue how to use a tricorder and liaison with you on the ground."

"Ok. What are you hoping to find?" Mike asked, tuning two tricorders.

"It's what I won't find that interests me," he said, puzzling his fellows. "Naomi you're with me," he said, holding out his hand to the young Ktarian girl. She slipped her hand into his trustingly and followed his lead, back to the totems or so she thought. He took a little known path in a westerly direction and north of the site, so they walked between the totems and the Mirror River.

"Where are we going, Commander?" she asked quietly, after they'd been walking steadily for some minutes. His only answer was to squeeze her hand. So she lapsed into silence once more and kept pace with him, listening to his tricorder that he held out in front of him.

Suddenly it gave a strident sound and they stopped to get their bearings, picking their new direction from what the tricorder readings told him. Soon they came across a rocky outcrop that was the foothills to a small mountain range. He pushed aside some bushes and revealed a deep crag in which sat a human-like man.

"Hello," Naomi said nervously. "Is he alright?" she whispered to Chakotay. But the humanoid just stared unblinking at her.

"He's dead, Naomi," Chakotay informed her, shutting his tricorder, having scanned the male. "I'm not sure either," he told her in answer to her puzzled expression. The beeping of his com-badge stalled any further questioning, as he stood and answered the caller.

"Ayala here. There is something really strange going on around this site. Little Blue tells me the site was once covered by a shiny dome, after the First Ones and the Inheritors left."

"Little Blue said much the same to me too."

"Mike. Why did Tom choose this area? Apart from the totems," frowning and gazing unseeing back the way they'd come.

"Something to do with the flood plain around the river. Why do you ask?"

"I'll meet you back at camp and we'll compare notes. Chakotay out."

"Commander," the girl called, he joined her at the dead male's hole. "What do you think that is?" pointing to a small cube shaped object close to the male's torso.

Getting his tricorder out he scanned it; he did it twice puzzled by the readings.

"It appears to be a generator of some kind. It's rather burnt out, as though it over loaded," he noted quietly, scanning the body again. Naomi touched the body, lightly with her fingers, and then rapped her fist on his ridged forehead. The sound was much like knocking on a hollow hard surface. Their eyes met and held for several seconds. He closed the tricorder and stood, helping her up also.

"Let's get back to camp," he said quietly. They walked back in solemn silence, realising their find hadn't had a very pleasant death.

They met the other two at the totems and whilst the two males compared notes via their tricorders, the two females moved around the site touching the poles and noting the smooth coldness to the natural bleached wood surface.

"Commander," Naomi called softly, asking both males to join her; when they did she rapped her knuckles on the pole; it had the same hollow ring as the male torso she and the Commander had discovered.

"Little Blue, what did the First Ones tell your people about the meteor shower and how it would affect your planet?" he asked, his fingers caressing the wood surface of the pole, which should have been warm, rough and alive; but was cold hard and smooth.

"That it would cause weather havoc and make it hard to breath due to the heat."

"And possibly shards of the moon and meteors," noted Ayala.

"What no one anticipated was that a Borg cube would cause the moon to implode and increase that havoc," he said, getting to his feet. "Mike did Tom use a core sampler to determine the level of the flood plain?" His friend nodded. "I'd like you to take some core samples around this site. I'll try to get a depth sounding," he said, setting his tricorder for the task. It wasn't long before the results came back as he walked around the site, covering the entire area and just beyond; whilst Mike Ayala tried to get some core samples.

"No luck?" Chakotay asked of his friend, who now looked as if he run a mile or more.

"I couldn't even get it into the ground. Its rock solid and crystal hard."

"That doesn't surprise me. The depth readings show this ceramic coating goes down about one to two meters and as the central pole was a living tree it soaked up the ceramics and preserved it; that is why they're still here and why it hasn't decayed."

"Apart from the fact it's not painted," noted Ayala.

"Commander," called Little Blue, holding out Naomi's drawing pad to him. On it was the main totem drawn in her childish hand, but there was something different about it, to his drawings and the pole itself.

"It has eyes," he said astonished.

"I told her," Little Blue said.

"So it was painted at first then?" The Pedtra nodded sitting close to her new friend Naomi on the log ring; Chakotay sank down onto the ground cross legged in front of them, even Ayala sat too.

"I think I understand now," speaking slowly as if still deep in thought. "When the First Ones decided to return the Inheritors to their planet of origin, they possibly hoped to return here to Double Earth themselves. The loss of the moon changed that, but they wouldn't have known until they returned. So they decided to preserve the totems, by placing a force field over them. The shimmering dome," he clarified for Little Blue. "When the moon imploded and parts of it landed at what is now the Triple Tempest Falls, the resulting shockwave would have upset the force field, which stripped the poles of their paint. Although it must of reasserted itself a second shockwave from another meteor would have caused it to overload."

"What with all the heat and the shards of crystal in the air it gave this entire site a ceramic coating, preserving it from natural weathering and decay. That is what is missing?" asked Ayala. Chakotay nodded.

"Our male friend?" Naomi asked, her eyes wide realising it would be pleasant hearing.

"He would have suffocated. All that is left in that cave is a ceramic shell. He died in much the same way as the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum were destroyed on August 24th AD79, the day after the festival of Vulcanalia. The Roman god of Fire," he said sadly. Little Blue looked puzzled. "I'll get out the history file for you to look at," he told her.

TBC- [one more chapter to go]


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer see Chapter one.

**Chapter 8**

Janeway relaxed with her crew realising she would have to spend more time on her own pet projects as well as running her ship. She had come to the conclusion that being Captain was slowly taking over her life, where once she'd been a Starfleet Officer first and then a Captain.

Kathryn thought of Chakotay and how relaxed he'd looked last she'd seen of him. Tom had informed her about the male's research into the markings on the totem poles and the poles themselves that the computer had discovered when they'd first arrived here. She knew she hadn't allowed him any real time to do his own projects into the history of the planets and populated areas they'd encountered on their travels through the Delta quadrant. Neelix had kindly allowed the Commander access to his ship's data files and that planet that lived in the blink of an eye; but apart from that he'd been denied his first love that of anthropology. The only plus for the man and his love of ancient history had been that she'd given him sole access to the data files Seven had downloaded from Lieutenant John Kelly's logs on the Mars ship _Ares IV_.

Janeway recalled that he'd been like a little boy let loose in a candy store. The smile that that thought brought to her face caused her companion to comment, breaking into her private musings.

"Pleasant day?" he asked softly.

"Pleasant enough; I'd forgotten how much I loved science and delving into all the possibilities that new research threw at me," she responded with a sigh, looking up at her Vulcan friend. "Remember when I told Chakotay to review Lt. Kelly's logs as punishment," softly smiling.

"I would hardly have called that punishment, Captain," he noted amused, pleased to see her grin grow wider.

"True; more like locking him up in a candy store," she said and laughed quietly.

"I believe the archive sections of the sciences have been grateful for Commander Chakotay's input, whilst making sure they got all the materials they needed along with his general enthusiasm for the subject matter. At least he was able to keep Mr. Neelix under some sort of control for them."

"I wonder how he managed that?" her smile still on her face, recalling the Talaxian's unbounding exuberance. "I'm surprised the historians ever got any work done at times, with all the stories he often plied them with."

"A willing audience was all Mr. Neelix required," he acknowledged quietly. They sat in companionable silence, whilst the crew happily bustled about them in Chell's kitchen under the shadow of Voyager. She noted that there were a few more people bustling around than when she'd first joined her crew here.

"Chell," she called out to the Bolian male as he passed her. "Is it me, or are there more people around?" she asked him, puzzled.

"I believe most of the crew who have been out exploring are returning to the ship," he told her. She thanked him for that news as he went about his duties making sure all who needed to be fed and watered, were. Janeway listened to the general hubbub of talk, as the crew chatted among themselves, sharing their experiences of their stay on the planet. Two engineers walked pass, their voices raised in argument:

"I'm telling **you**, it is true."

"All right, all right; if you say so, I believe you," noted his fellow engineer. What they were disputing about Janeway wasn't sure, but they appeared to be in good spirits about it whatever it was. Tuvok just looked at her, eyebrow raised, as if to say, 'typical behaviour for humans'; causing her to smile at him and then return her attention to the PADD in front of her. It contained all her days work in cataloguing the flora and fauna of the planet along with her own observations of their current locale.

The Vulcan just watched her quietly as he meditated on his own observations and experiences whilst away from the ship. He was pleased to see her looking a lot more relaxed than when they'd first arrived and that there was more colour in her pale skin. He only hoped she would take on board his suggestion that she consult Chakotay about her problems, even if they did centre on the man himself. Feeling the stirrings of his mental malady, he quietly excused himself and made for the ship, hoping to reach sickbay without incident.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

At the Totem site, Chakotay contacted Voyager and asked for the history file from AD79.

=/\= Do you want me to bring it out to you, Commander? =/\=

=/\= That won't be necessary as Mike and I are to return tomorrow morning. Chakotay out, =/\= he said and cut the connection.

"Do you mean we won't be sleeping in the tepee any more?" Naomi asked, feeling sad.

"Sounds like you'll have at least one more night," Ayala said.

Chakotay smiled. "Do you want to sleep in it again?" he asked, kneeling down in front of her. She nodded her face downcast. "We can always set it up on the holodeck," he offered.

"That's not the same," she pouted.

"Could you not leave it here?" Little Blue asked her small face serious.

"I do not think that wise, Little Blue. I did tell **all** the crew, not to leave anything from Voyager behind. I can't very well ignore my own orders."

"But you won't. Tepee's have been here before," she assured him.

"I'll give it some thought," he said, but it was obvious that he wasn't happy about the idea.

Whilst the girls took themselves off to find some fruit for their meal, Mike watched his friend cooking their meal without saying a word.

"What?" Chakotay asked.

"Nothing, just thinking," he said, shrugging his shoulders, warming his hands by holding them out to the flames. Chakotay set the stew back over the fire to bubble away.

"Out with it, Lt. Ayala," he demanded exasperated, for he didn't usually have to prise things out of this man.

"Little Blue has something of a photographic memory," he said carefully.

"I'm aware of **that**," he responded, recalling the youngster's knowledge and understanding of what he'd been teaching her about the written language of the totems and wondering where this conversation was going.

"She can always help me take the tepee down," Mike said with an innocent expression gracing his human features. Chakotay's smile grew as he replied equally as slowly 'that she could'. "Knowledge is still leaving something behind, but it isn't tangible," he added. At that Chakotay laughed outright.

"That is true, Mike. I hadn't thought about it like that," he grinned, once his laughter had died. "Why not let both girls take it down," he suggested. "With you supervising; naturally." Ayala grinned happily back at him; just at that moment the girls returned chatting away nineteen to the dozen to each other, a bowl filled with choice wild berry fruit and their lips stained with some telltale signs.

"Looks like you two girls will not be requiring any pudding or first course. What do you think, Mike?" he teased, winking at Ayala as he handed him a bowl of thick stew.

"We only sampled one or two," Little Blue said defensively, as Naomi put the bowl near the tattooed male.

"Glad to hear it," he said and gave them their bowls filled with the stew, a smile on his relaxed face. Naomi realised he was teasing and grinned at him.

"He is playing with us," she informed the small puzzled Pedtra.

"Oh? Thank you," she noted, taking her bowl and picking up a bread roll, she sat quietly and tucked into her meal.

"Good?" he asked softly. She nodded her head as she had a mouthful. Chakotay smiled warmly at her and she relaxed.

Later having cleared away most of their non-essential equipment onto the anti-grav sledge, hooked up to the remaining hover bike and only the fire hearth in the tepee still alight; Chakotay stood looking up at the moon-white rings.

"The girls have been tucked up for the night. Chakotay?" he questioned, puzzled by the dark man's demeanour. "Everything alright?" standing close to his friend and commander.

"Yes, Mike. Just thinking," he smiled, settling his backpack on his shoulders more securely; "I'll see you back at the ship," he said, taking a step forward, but Ayala's hand on his arm prevented him.

"Chakotay?" Ayala questioned, frowning puzzled.

"I'm fine. There's something I need to do and I'll do it better alone and at night," he smiled reassuringly at the other man. Ayala sighed and nodded his acceptance of the explanation and walked away back to the tepee. Chakotay had shown and instructed Ayala how to leave the blessing on the ground where the fire hearth in the tepee rested, the same as he'd done earlier for the cooking fire. Mike had assured him he'd remember, if not the girls would, for they too had watched him draw the blessing, fascinated by the design; especially Little Blue.

He walked round to the totem ring one last time and gazed up at the stag head silhouetted against the western sky. A soft call reached his ears and he smiled, feeling its song echo in his heart. With a last look at the large totem pole, he finally understood about the stag head.

"Hart protects," he whispered. "The Captain," he added quietly, the realisation hitting him as he recalled the frequency with which Janeway would put herself in the firing line to protect her crew, all of them without exception.

The call sounded closer and he saw the white She-wolf watching him from the sparse ground cover; without a word he moved towards her and she turned onto the path leading away from the site and toward the one Sky Spirit who'd stayed behind and lost his life. When he reached the male's rocky nook he moved a nearby flattish stone across the entrance way, thus sealing the figure within. Like the totems the figure would always be there; coated in a protective layer of crystal hard ceramics that would prevent them from the eroding elements of the weather. The white She-wolf waited as he silently offered up to the Great Spirit a farewell blessing, and then she trotted off leading him through the night drenched landscape. Chakotay only had a vague idea of where she was leading him, but he trusted her not to lead him astray.

He quietly reflected on his time on Double Earth - whilst he walked – having enjoyed his time spent with B'Elanna, Tom and Mike Ayala, as well as Naomi and Little Blue; learning about the Pedtra, the First Ones and the Inheritors, plus how it was all linked to Earth of the Alpha Quadrant. Seeing Kes had been a surprise, but a pleasant one, that had strangely comforted him. His easy stride covered the ground he travelled, following his white guide, who loped along a few strides ahead of him. The night creatures stirred around them, yet they did not hinder them or rush to get out of their way, thus he saw much of Double Earth's native wildlife. Dark coloured foxes playing outside their dens with that spring's frolicking cubs; ambling badgers going about their nightly foraging. The silent light wings of owls flying low over the small meadows, listening for the telltale rustle of field mice or voles. He also caught a glimpse of the Sun Dancer butterflies fluttering their gossamer wings in the moonlit glades in groups of two or threes. He felt at peace, at home as he strode through the changing countryside with the white She-wolf leading him steadily onwards.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Meanwhile at the ship site, the crew started to clear a way the excess equipment from Chell's kitchen and return it to its storage places on the ship. The general chatter was light and happy as they worked; none had begrudged the Doctor giving them all a full medical check-up – which was a first – and passing everyone with a clean bill of health; including Captain Kathryn Janeway; which was defiantly a first.

The woman in question quietly watched the crew as the night drew in around them, not even moving from her small vantage point as they slowly retired to their beds for the night. The work crews from the Triple Tempest Falls had returned laden with enough dilthium crystals to see them through the next year or two. She hoped they would find a shorter way home before then, looking up at the moon-white rings.

It was as she contemplated the rings that she became aware of the sensation that she was being watched and a voice called her name softly.

//Kathryn// the voice whispered through her mind like the night breeze.

"Kes?" she responded, looking round her to see who was there; yet it wasn't a person she saw but the white hide of an animal disappearing through the night shadowed trees.

Just what impelled her to follow she did not know, but follow she did. Janeway thought the animal that led her was the white She-wolf, she'd encountered over their stay here, but she couldn't be sure, because she didn't see the whole animal.

//You have nothing to fear// the telepathic voice whispered through her mind as she cautiously followed the white hide through the night shadowed forest.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Above both travellers, the moon-white rings climbed into the sky casting their white light over everything; thus when they both reached the open glade – from different directions - the light had turned the whole glade into a winter wonderland. Although they'd both started at different times and travelled different distances, they'd reached the glade almost together. Janeway stayed within the shadowed edge, and gazed out at the scene; whilst Chakotay stepped cautiously forward into the silver-white light that bathed the open glade. He smiled on seeing the Hart framed by the trees around him at the edge of the glade, whilst at his feet almost bathing in the silver light lay the sprawled shape of the white She-wolf. She stretched and lifted her head to look at him.

"Chakotay!" a voice he knew well cautioned from across the glade, as he made to step toward the seated She Wolf. Even the Hart stamped his hoof and snorted, as a likewise cautionary warning.

"You're as bad as him," he responded quietly with a soft smile and continued toward the white She-wolf. She stood her tail wagging, ears erect, her whole stance happy and welcoming. He sat down a little way from her and softly uttered a sound under his breath and she wriggled her whole body over to him, whining and licking his face once she was close enough to touch him. He didn't touch her with his hands, but moved his head to accommodate her hearty greeting. Janeway watched astonished, realising Chakotay was allowing the She-wolf to greet him in the same way she would any member of her kind. She moved a little closer and in doing so the movement of a white hide caught her eye causing her to stare at the majestic creature that stood framed by the trees.

"The Hart," she whispered, awe in her voice. The White Stag eyed her warily his big deep brown eyes assessing her. He snorted and stamped a fore hoof, sounds she'd heard before.

"Told you, that you're as bad as him," a male voice quipped softly, his characteristic smile in the tone. Her eyes left the Stag to look at him and noted that he and the She Wolf were sitting quietly together, his hand playing gently with her white ears and a look of contentment on her face. "Kathryn," he invited softly with just the right emphasis on her name. Feeling unsure she looked at him uncertainly, then at the Stag who moved to be fully bathed in the moon-white light of the rings. He softly spoke her name again, his tone reassuring her so that she quickly and lightly closed the gap between them and sat beside him.

"Wolf Hart. Hunter and prey - that winter protects. Together yet – knot. Entwined but not tied. Free flying and yet always together," she recited quietly her eyes still on the White Stag. She heard him softly chuckle and the She-wolf made a soft sound, one that she'd normally use to quieten her playful cubs. Kathryn Janeway turned her head to look at him, her heart thumping in her chest, certain that he could hear it also, but he only smiled that special smile that he reserved only for her. She was about to speak, but he put a gentle finger to her lips halting her; thus they sat together in silence in the moon-white bathed clearing with the She Wolf and Hart.

It was a magical moment and one both wanted to savour hoping that the real world would leave them in peace to enjoy their current company, but the turning of the planet revealing the first tentive rays of the system's ever present sun caused the magical moon-white light to loose it's grip on the scene. Janeway sighed as the area lost its winter white look. The She-wolf nosed her hand, pushing her muzzle under her palm so her fingers reached the white ears.

"She won't bite," a male voice said gently, sighing as he eased his body out of its seated position allowing the She-wolf to sit closer to Kathryn. He stood up and made his way over to the White Stag. The animal watched him warily, yet stood his ground even when the tattooed male stood close enough to touch. Chakotay gazed into the liquid brown eye that faced him and breathed gently down his nose at the Stag. Startled a moment the animal's ears shot forward and upright, centring on Chakotay's presence who again huffed at him. After a second or two the Stag returned the gesture, dipping his antlered head so his soft moist nose nestled in Chakotay's open hand. Soon the human male was stroking the Stag's noble head who softly rumbled in his throat. Unseen by Janeway or Chakotay – at first – stood the elfin female a gentle smile across her young features as she watched the pair. She moved to stand close to the two males.

"Kes," he said quietly on recognising her.

//She will not see// she told him, before he could say anything to his female companion. //Not her fault, Chakotay// Kes smiled. The two of them watched the red-headed female with the white She-wolf, relaxed for now. //She needs a listening ear//

"She knows I'm always here for her," he said, still close to the Stag a hand on the animal's shoulder.

//Maybe// He looked at her sharply frowning at the Ocampan female. //She's been advised to talk to you about her troubles. Question is…//

"Will she," he finished the thought for her, looking over to his Captain and friend.

//You are the bridge maker//

"I know," he sighed, feeling defeated. "I'm tired of being the first to always heal the breach, Kes," he admitted.

//I know// laying her hand on his arm. //But **she** needs **you** now more than ever// her tone caused him to look at her and found himself drawn in by her wide eyes. What he saw there made his blood go cold, yet he understood. //Take care// she whispered, and then she was gone, returning to her own travels across the stars; somehow he knew – without asking – that she would look in on Neelix, to see how he was fairing; that thought made him smile. A female voice calling him by name brought his mind round to his current location; giving the Stag a final soft scratch behind his ears, he rejoined Kathryn Janeway. The white She-wolf moved to sit before the Stag making quite a picture within the forest clearing.

"They are us, aren't they?" she said softly, her eyes on the imposing pair.

"I suppose they are," he admitted quietly having sat down beside her. "Do you know which is who?" he asked, his own dark eyes taking in the scene, watching as the She-wolf stood up and stretched and then trotted up to the Stag with whom she touched noses and then both left the clearing; together at first, before going in opposite directions. Janeway sighed, letting out the breath she'd been holding. She looked at her male companion, taking in his distinctive profile until he turned to look at her. His smile warmed her.

"That you are the Stag?" she suggested.

"Am I?" he questioned in return. "I do not think so, Kathryn," he stood and held out a hand to help her up, which she accepted, thus they stood close as he hadn't let go of her hand.

"Just because I'm male doesn't follow that my animal guide is male," he said a smile in his tone of voice.

"I see," gently easing her hand out of his. If she noted the sadness in his eyes at her move she chose to ignore it. "I think we'd better return to the ship," she said, turning to face the direction that she'd originally come from. He fell in step with her easily enough, but there appeared to be reluctance on his part as if waiting for something from her.

They'd been walking for some time in silence, when she realised that he was no longer at her shoulder. Janeway stopped and looked round back the way they'd come to see what had happened to him; he stood some feet away caught in an early shaft of morning sunlight and looking at the ground. She called his name, but he did not look up or turn in her direction. This puzzled her, so she called him by his rank, but again he did not appear to hear her. Exasperated she sighed and strode over to him.

"What is the matter?" she asked him, her tone hard and angry, standing at his shoulder. He still did not acknowledge her words or even her presence. Concerned now she touch his arm and softly spoke him name, questioning him with that one word. Slowly he turned his head to look at her. The sight of the tears coursing down his cheeks surprised and worried Kathryn.

"Chakotay? What is wrong?"

Instead of answering her, he walked away at an angle to the path they had been travelling. Anger surfaced within her, yet she quelled it by balling her fists at her side and called him by rank once more.

"Commander Chakotay. Talk to me," she demanded. At that he stood very still, caught once more within a shaft of sunlight filtering down through the tree canopy. Kathryn Janeway watched him puzzled by his silence as well as his actions. She was caught off guard by his response to her question.

"Why?" he asked softly, turning his head to look at where she stood in the leafy shadows.

"I beg you pardon?" she responded, still angry and confused.

"Why, should I talk to you?" his tone still soft, that she barely heard him. Surprised she could only stare at him. He wiped at his wet cheeks drying the tears of frustration that it always had to be him that made the first move. Chakotay had hoped as they walked through the quiet spring forest that she would open up to him without being prompted to do so; yet she had proven once again that it was a forlorn hope. Thus he stood and waited feeling sadness begin to overwhelm him, when Kes' words came back to him; _'You are the bridge maker._'

'…_..it is __**to him**__, __**you need **__to talk.' _The words came unbidden to her mind, remembering who'd spoken them and why; feeling confused and unsure of herself, she stood uncertainly within the dark leafy shadows, trying to rein in her whirling thoughts. A name, her name being spoken in that soft measured way of his broke into those thoughts and stilled them. Kathryn looked up and saw him holding out his hand to her still cast in the gold of the strengthening sunlight within the small open glade. Slowly her legs moved, as if of their own accord toward him and her hand placed itself within his. Carefully his fingers gripped her hand within his warm gentle grasp, making her feel safe and secure. Both of them sat down cross-legged on the forest floor, still holding hands. He held her cold blue gaze with his deep warm - amber highlighted - brown eyes, which after a moment loosened her tongue and she spoke about Quarra and the feelings the experience there had evoked in her.

After some time had passed and the words had finished tumbling out of her mouth, she discovered she was leaning against his warm strong torso, his arms encircling her holding her close; her cheeks wet with the unbidden tears that her words had caused as she'd spoken of her thoughts and feelings about Quarra, their journey through the Delta quadrant, the crew they'd lost and a lot of other things. She only hinted at how she felt about her feelings for the senior crew.

Janeway sighed deeply and felt him squeeze her comfortingly. He realised, more than her, by what she hadn't said, how she really felt about Voyager's family, especially the senior staff.

"You have taken a step, the first of many – hopefully - to help heal yourself," he whispered softly into her hair, as her head rested under his chin. "I was beginning to wonder if we'd lost, Kathryn to the Captain," he said a smile in his tone, still holding her close. She snuggled against him, almost as if trying to bury herself into his caring warmth. "I'm always here for you, Kathryn," he told her, kissing the top of her head.

Kathryn Janeway felt the tears prick behind her eyes at his words and knew them to be true.

"I've always wondered what I would have done without you?" she admitted quietly.

"Survived," he noted softly. She pushed away from him and he let her sit more upright.

Janeway gazed across the small sun dappled glade to the darkening shadows under the surrounding trees. Yes she would have survived, but at what cost to her crew and more importantly to herself. The sun shone warmly down, enclosing her body in a cloak of safety. She turned to look at her male companion and realised that when he was close the sun always shone, even when it rained. Chakotay smiled hesitantly at her as if not quite sure of what she was thinking. She returned the smile warmly and sighed. Suddenly he grinned at the soft rumbling they both could hear.

"If your stomach is anything like mine," he said getting to his feet and helping her up also. "I suggest we make for Chell's kitchen and a hearty breakfast," his grin spreading across his handsome face. She laughed in agreement with him and they set off through the awakening forest, back to their ship.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

In cargo-bay 2 the EMH checked over the area's one sleeping occupant, the human-Borg female Seven of Nine. The readings he was getting form his medical tricorder were worrying, causing him to frown as he checked his patient's vital signs. Beside him, Ensign Harry Kim was checking over the technical specs of the Borg regeneration alcove the female stood in, he also frowned in deep concentration at the results showing on his tricorder.

"This is worrying," noted the EMH, breaking the companionable working silence between them; he closed his scanning equipment.

"I agree with you, Doctor," the young man sighed, closing his instrument. He stood and touched his comm-badge. "Kim to Bridge. Have you located the Captain?"

=/\= Affirmative. She and Cmdr. Chakotay have arrived back and are at Chell's kitchen. =/\=

"Understood. Kim out," he said and closed the comm-channel. The two males looked at each other, unspoken questions and decisions running through their minds; they left the area and made for the outside location of their commanding officers, with their disturbing news.

TBC.....


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer the usual. See chapter one.

**Chapter 9**

The remains of their hearty breakfast sat on the table in front of the Command team as they chatted easily together in the warming sunshine. Janeway laughed at something Chakotay had said to her as the EMH and Ensign Kim approached their table.

"Goodness. Why the long faces? Especially on such a beautiful day?" she asked the pair good-naturedly.

"Sorry, Captain. We have some disturbing news about Seven of Nine," the EMH said. Both males were sorry to have spoken; especially at seeing the happy expression suddenly leave the Captain's relaxed face, even the Commander's changed abruptly.

"What sort of disturbing news?" he asked carefully. For an answer the Doctor just gave him his medical tricorder. The male studied it thoroughly and then handed it to his female companion. "How long?" he asked, noting the quiet around them from the rest of the crew.

"I'd say no more than 48hrs maximum. 36 would be better," the Doctor said.

Captain Janeway looked at her male friend and first officer, the look in her eyes was resigned yet hopeful. He smiled in response to her unspoken acknowledgement of his friendship and support.

"We'd better call a staff meeting," she said, her blue eyes not leaving his face.

"Agreed," he said and tapped his comm-badge. "All senior staff report to Chell's kitchen for Staff briefing in one hour. Chakotay out." He closed the channel, gave Janeway a soft nod of his head, stood and left the table, just as Ayala arrived with Naomi and Little Blue.

"Problems, Chakotay?" he asked, bringing the hover bike to a full stop.

"Could be, Lieutenant," he sighed. "Better get all that equipment stowed on board and report to Tuvok," he said. Ayala nodded sadly, realising their time on Double Earth had just been curtailed. "The history file I promised you, Little Blue," handing the female Pedtra the PADD.

"Thank you. Something wrong?" she asked looking at his sad expression.

"I think we'll be leaving sooner rather than later. Now I'd better check some reports," he said and left for his quarters and office on the ship. Naomi watched him go, puzzled by his sad demeanour. The young Ktarian girl-child shared a look with Lt. Ayala.

"We'll know soon enough, Naomi," he responded. Little Blue asked Naomi to help her understand the information on the PADD, thus to two young child females settled down together, whilst Ayala asked for an extra helping hand from the crew to get his camping equipment and the hover bike stowed back on board the ship.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Torres and Paris were in their quarters when the Commander's call came through about the staff meeting. They had been enjoying one of Tom's cartoons on the old TV set alone with some popcorn, curled up together on the sofa – or as curled up as they could manage due to B'Elanna's current condition.

"I wonder what that will be about?" said Tom puzzled, for something in the male's tone had put them both on edge.

"Well we won't find out lazing here," she noted, trying to get to her feet, but her husband prevented her. "Tom," she growled.

"We've got time," he said, trying to keep his arms around her large bulk, but she managed to slip from his grasp using a trick that she'd learnt over their time courting together. "That's not fair," he said pouting.

"That expression doesn't do anything for you. And who said life was fair," Torres said standing and looking at him with a soft expression of tenderness in her eyes. "You'll do," she smiled, causing him to grin in response. Sighing dramatically he left the sofa, turned the TV off. They exited their quarters together, yet going to their respective departments to gather up reports and data for the up-coming meeting; at least it would be outside, in the fresh air, rather than in the stuffy air conditioned conference lounge.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

One hour later all but two of the senior staff sat around a table that now sat a little apart from the main area around Chell's serving/cooking counter arrangement; the rest of the sprawled trestle tables having been returned to storage and then recycled through the larger replicator, thus returning the energy to the ship. Chell's kitchen equipment would very soon follow; therefore the talk that bubbled among the working crew was subdued but not overly sad.

The Doctor along with Tuvok was the last of the senior staff to join those already seated.

"How is Seven?" Janeway asked of the frowning EMH.

"Stable at present, Captain," he informed her, taking a seat next to Chakotay, whom he informed that the male was to report to sickbay for a full medical.

"We've **all **been through one! It's to up-date **his** records," Tom Paris informed him with a cheeky grin, holding his wife's hand in plain view and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"All the crew are present and accounted for, Captain," the dark Vulcan said in his usual calm manner.

"Maintenance repairs are all complete and up to spec standard. We also have a good supply of deuterium and dilithium crystals aboard," Torres reported quietly.

"Chell says the food stores are holding up well, but we could do with a restock soon." Chakotay informed in that quiet way of his. Janeway realised that they were all giving their reports without having to be asked, which pleased her yet it also left her feeling despondent about having to leave this pleasant planet.

"Could we gather food supplies from here?" Kim asked.

"No; at least not unless it is given," he amended his statement.

"Question is do we really want it from here. Considering how much this planet reminds us of home and what we'll be leaving behind," noted Paris quietly; his tone expressing something of how they all felt about leaving.

"Perhaps some seeds to replenish the airponics," Kathryn said thoughtfully, remembering her own forays into the flora of the planet. She sighed echoing the feelings of everyone around their table. "To business," squaring her shoulders and put her next question to the Doctor. "How long will you require to bring Seven up to speed?"

"At least 8 to 10 hours, possibly 12 to be on the safe side. I'll also need to add to her memory centres to account for the lapse of time. I'd also advise that we keep this planet and everything that has happened here, out of her reach," he added sadly.

"Explain."

"Well, Commander; the rings are full of Borg nano-probes, yet they're giving out a warning signal to the Borg rather than the usual assimilation directive," he said, giving the male the PADD with the data that he and Paris had down loaded from Astrometrics.

"Looks from this, that she was going to re-instate **that **Borg directive," he noted quietly having read the PADD carefully. He exchanged a soft meaningful look with Janeway who sat the other side of him.

"Indeed," agreed Tuvok. The rest of the senior staff felt they'd missed something here, but didn't pursue it. Harry Kim gently cleared his throat and the expression he saw on Janeway's face encouraged him to say his piece.

"We could create a holo-program of this planet, rather than add the data collected so far to the main memory of the computer core. Well apart from the extensive scans - via the ship's sensors and probes - we took of the planet on our approach, all other scans have been passive, tricorders, personal logs or journals, electronic or written," he said, noting the dawning comprehension on the faces of his fellow crew-mates. "Therefore why not put all our data into the holo-matrix."

"You mean a full holo-programme?!" Paris asked his face lighting up at the thought.

"Interesting idea; but Seven can still access all the holo-programs," Janeway said.

"Not necessarily, Captain," his voice eager. "This place is a lot like Earth to pass her usual Borg scrutiny."

"Chell mentioned that there was a part that reminded him of Bolaris IV," noted Torres.

"Vorik and I discovered a red sand desert much like that of Vulcan."

"Complete with live Sand Eels, I understand," Chakotay quipped with a soft smile.

"Indeed," responded the dark Vulcan eyebrow rising.

"Home form home," said the Doctor.

"Double Earth."

"Pardon, Commander?" Janeway asked startled.

"Tlalli – Erde is how the Pedtra know this planet. Tlalli is Aztec for earth and Erde is the Germanic or Anglo-Saxon word for earth. Hence Double Earth," he informed them, his grin relaxed.

"I see," she said her voice and expression thoughtful. "We'd better ask the crew to give all their data and notes to you, Mr. Kim for this holo-programme. Chakotay and the archive head - Lieutenant Alan Sims - can assist you. Not you Tom," she added ignoring his now crestfallen look. "I suggest you lock the program down so it can only be used for research purposes, rather than general interaction with. That way it will hopefully keep it out of Seven's reach." The senior staff around the table looked sad at that prospect, but understood the reasoning behind it.

"We've a lot to do so I suggest we get started," she said decisively getting to her feet. "Dismissed," she added as an afterthought.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Chakotay left with the Doctor, to sickbay whilst the others dispersed to finish their duties in their respective departments. The Commander had a strange feeling the Doctor would be doing more than a full medical with him. Once all the checks had been completed to the EMH's satisfaction, the male medic seemed hesitant and uneasy.

"Doctor; something else?" he asked quietly as the pair stood in the Doctor's office. For an answer the EMH ordered the computer to initiate security protocols thus locking them in the small area.

"Take a seat please, Commander," he said indicating the chair on one side of the main desk, yet he did not sit himself but continued to stand frowning uncertainly and silently worrying.

"Doctor. Sit," Chakotay commanded firmly, which effectively had the male sitting down abruptly into his chair. "Now take a deep breath and start at the beginning," he suggested softly; although he knew the male opposite him was a hologram he saw no reason to treat him as anything other than what he appeared to be, a very worried individual.

"What I'm about to tell you will be breaching doctor-patient confidentiality…" he said looking at the male who nodded his understanding. "Seven called me whilst on the holodeck some months ago having collapsed. I won't go into all the medical details," he paused a moment wondering how to proceed; coming to a decision he sat straighter in his chair and told Cmdr. Chakotay just what program the female ex-Borg had been running and why she had been doing so; to recreate her experiences in Unimatrix zero. The tattooed male listened quietly as the tale of 'his' romance with Seven unfolded and how she'd decided to end it.

They sat in silence each taking time to digest what had been said and even what had been left unsaid.

"In view of my own fantasies on the holodeck…." he left the sentence unfinished.

"I'm not sure whether to feel flattered or angry," he said softly, still trying to get his head round the idea of **him** and Seven. "In this case you're not breaking any rules with doctor-patient confidentiality, but there are rules about making complete holographic facsimile of one's crew-mates, as I don't need to remind **you**." The Doctor had the grace to look shame faced. Chakotay sighed. "I'm assuming you're thinking of suggesting to her to pursue this idea with me in reality," he said carefully.

"The thought had occurred to me and it would provide a distraction….not that I'm saying you should pursue it, that is if you don't want to," he added quickly seeing the angry look that the Commander shot in his direction.

"Why me? Is what I can't fathom. I would have said Harry Kim was more her type. In fact I believe he had a crush on her at one time," smiling at the memory.

"She said you were the logical choice," the EMH said quietly.

"That sounds like a typical Seven response," he murmured; he noted the EMH's expression and realised something. "You're in love with her yourself. Aren't you?" Chakotay noted gently.

The Doctor tried to bluff it, but the man opposite him wasn't buying it. "Nothing to be ashamed of, Doctor; Seven is a very beautiful woman and I've known many a mentor fall head over heels in love with their charges," he smiled and sighed. "Sometime though, we don't always get what we think we need in this life," his words for them both.

"You and the Captain…"

"Don't, Doctor," he snapped. "I've been down **that** road to many times myself. Captain Kathryn Janeway and I are just very good friends; nothing more. Understood?"

"You'd like it to be," the medic ventured softly, now that his own unrequited love interest was out in the open. Chakotay stood and sighed sadly, turning away from the EMH.

"Perhaps," he admitted very softly. He turned back and looked at the seated medic his gaze intent and business-like. "I suggest that you make this idea of yours to Seven verbally, if you really think it's necessary. Whether** I** decide to pursue it, is between me and Seven."

"Naturally, Commander," the medic responded in like manner, standing.

"And we never had this conversation; Right?"

"What conversation, Commander." The two men looked at each other both feeling trapped by circumstances beyond their control, knowing neither could have what they really wanted and in that sense there was a kinship between them. The EMH cancelled the security protocols and watched the dark haired male leave his office and sickbay to return to his duties; both official and unofficial. For the Doctor had noted in the Commander's medical data file his role as ship's counsellor in his report to Starfleet Medical.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Dusk was settling in as the Voyager crew enjoyed a small meal under the resting ship, when they noticed a massive dark cloud winging its way towards them across the sunset red sky. Some crew looked anxiously at the security personnel, who started to form a defensive barrier around the crew, phasers drawn.

"It's the Pedtra!" a child voice exclaimed, joyfully; causing most of the assembled crew to relax. Janeway and Chakotay stood at the bow of the ship as the first of the Pedtra landed. Elder Newaton bustled up to them and bowed formally.

"My apologies if we startled you," he began, as his kind ranged themselves around the flat area that had contained part of Chell's kitchen until a few hours ago. "My people and I would be gratified to share a final meal with you all, before you return to your travels," he stated, his voice carrying so all could hear him. Captain Janeway stepped forward and squatted down to Newaton's level, so he didn't have to crane his neck to look up at her towering above him.

"My crew and I would be delighted to have your company, Elder Newaton," she responded formally and smiled. The elder Pedtra grinned at her and his people let out a kind of collective sigh of relief. Then his people gently moved placing blue/white glowing lamps around the area to banish the shadows from under the ship. The Voyagers watched at first, and then some went to the stores and retrieved some thick blankets that they spread on the damping ground and sat in small groups, where the Pedtra laid out many food dishes filled with all that the planet had to offer. The commander team and main bridge crew had a single blanket, with Torres occupying a lounger chair to accommodate her pregnant bulk. Naomi and Sam sat with them, along with Elder Newaton and his family. Soon everyone was enjoying the food, drink and company that the Pedtra people had supplied for their guests to Tlalli – Erde.

The moon-white rings shone above the festivities as the night drew on. When the rings stood at their apex, Newaton presented Captain Janeway with a very ornate craved box. On opening it she discovered it contained every type of food producing seed that would more than replenish their airponics and hydroponic bays plant stocks.

"Elder Newaton you and your people are too kind," she said, startled and pleased at the gift, giving it to Chakotay to have a look at.

"Not at all, my dear Captain. We are only returning to your kind what was brought here, many centuries ago," he informed her with a beaming smile.

"How can you be so sure?" she asked looking bewildered at her friend.

"Because the Pedtra have very **long** memories," he responded, closing the box and smiling his thanks to the elder male Pedtra.

"Thank you, Chakotay. Little Blue will be passing on what **you** taught her at the pole ring, as it was designed as such."

"A classroom," he acknowledged, leaving Kathryn mystified. "I'll show you later on the holodeck, say tomorrow after late shift," he whispered into her ear.

"You have a date," she responded quietly as they watched their 'family' and Pedtra enjoying themselves. People danced, sang, played music and games as well as eating, drinking and swapping humours stories.

Soon Alpha shift quietly took their leave of their unusual hosts and their fellow crew-mates and retired to their beds happy and refreshed. Gradually the rest of the crew said goodbye to the Pedtra, taking with them many happy memories to sustain them in the long months ahead in their continuing journey. Thus that left only the senior staff along with the main Pedtra family, that of Elder Newaton and his immediate relations; two sons and a daughter-in-law.

Chakotay settled the young female Pedtra into her mother's arms; for Little Blue had fallen asleep on his lap; having earlier assured everyone that **she** was not in the least bit tired. He gently touched her sleeping face, causing her to smile softly.

"Thank you Inheritor," her mother said, giving him a gentle smile of her own. Her husband – the elder of Newaton's two sons – put an arm around his wife.

"She has talked non-stop about you, Chakotay," he told the tattooed male, looking softly down at his sleeping daughter. "I do not think any of us will be allowed to forget you people in a hurry," he noted with an amused smile.

"Nor I you," Chakotay responded quietly, taking a last look at the sleeping child who'd fallen so trustingly asleep with him some hours ago. Her parents moved a little away from his seated form and thus took to the skies to return to their underground home.

"You'll be gone in the full morning?"

"Yes, Elder Newaton. Many thanks again for your hospitality," Janeway said formally.

"Pleasure, dear Captain, a pleasure," he assured her and taking her hand he kissed the back of it. Stepping back he gave them all a gentlemanly bow and then he and his youngest son also took to the sky, lit by the waning moon-white rings. They all stood and watched until they could no longer see the shadows winging away from them. Someone sighed dramatically.

"I'm going to miss this place."

"Likewise," noted a stoic voice. Janeway and Chakotay exchanged soft amused looks and then she quietly suggested they all retire for what was left of the night, for an early start in the morning. No one argued with her, as they gathered up their blankets and each other. Soon only the deep shadows moved beneath and around the silent sleeping Star-ship; except for the two sentinel figures of white - hunter and prey.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Voyager's bridge was a hive of quiet efficient and eager activity as the Alpha shift brought their consoles up to full power. It had been decided to bring the ship out of grey mode on the decks required, to take the ship off the planet surface; thus only the bridge, deck one, the Mess hall, sickbay and engineering had full power at that moment and would remain so until they'd cleared the planetary rings and were making for deep space.

Janeway entered the bridge from her Ready Room, having had a last minute check-over with Chief Engineer, B'Elanna Torres, down in her domain. She sighed as she took her command chair feeling the contentment - not just from those around her - but from the ship also.

"Captain," his tone of voice a question and a statement at the same time. Kathryn smiled confidently at him, thus he relaxed back into his chair and waited.

"Mr. Paris. Time to resume our journey for home."

"Aye, aye, Captain," he acknowledged, turning to his console.

"Take her up, Mr. Paris," she ordered, the bridge now coloured blue and the crew working with their practised precision. The grey Star-ship responded eagerly to the crew's demands of her and lifted smoothly off the planet 'Tlalli – Erde' and up into the morning blue sky. She nosed up and over the rings that encircled the blue/green orb; engaging her impulse engines to take her out of the system and then vanished in the blue/white flash of warp drive, leaving the Earth-like planet far behind. A smiling elfin face was briefly visibly, within the orb, before it too vanished.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Full power was now restored on all decks throughout the ship, thus the Doctor stood in front of the Borg alcove that held the sleeping form of Seven of Nine. Tom Paris and Kathryn Janeway were monitoring the procedure to awaken the human/Borg female at Seven's usual work station.

Unbeknown to them all the elfin female watched as they brought the alcove out of hibernation mode to a normal eight hour sleep regeneration cycle, checking each stage carefully so the woman would feel no lasting effects.

"Hold on," the EMH said, checking his medical tricorder. The Captain and Medical Assistant waited anxiously, still monitoring the telemetry of the working alcove.

"Doctor; we need to proceed," Janeway said urgently. "This current status won't hold indefinitely," she informed him, reading again the figures before her.

"Yes…yes of course, Captain. Please proceed to the next level," he affirmed. The human pair breathed relieved. Slowly stage by stage, they brought Seven of Nine out of hibernation and into full regeneration sleep cycle.

//There is nothing to fear// whispered the elfin female softly into the EMH's ear.

"Kes?" he muttered quietly, still looking at his medical tricorder, yet not really seeing it.

//Keep your thoughts on your patient// she teased softly. //She'll be fine under your tender care, My Friend. You will not fail her or Voyager. There is a thank you gift; look at your medical files; it contains all you need to help Seven. Be safe, My Friend// her breath tickling his ear and her presence fading from the scene.

"Doctor; Are you alright?" Janeway asked her voice and face concerned her hand on his arm; even Tom Paris looked genuinely worried.

"Yes, Captain. I'm fine," he smiled.

"You sure, Doc? You looked a million light years away there for a moment," Tom noted, but without his usual cheekiness.

"I'm fine; nothing to be concerned about. Your readings please," he asked returning to the business at hand. The information was given steadily, as they checked over their patient.

"Good, very good," he commented softly. "We can let the computer oversee the rest of the sleep cycle. I've scheduled a medical check-up for her when she wakes up; so she'll be added to my final report to Starfleet Medical."

"Ok, Doctor; we'll leave her in you care," Janeway said; then she and Paris left the area. The Doctor sighed as he stood in front of Seven's still sleeping figure, his face troubled and filled with his love for this young woman, a young woman who knew nothing of how he felt about her and more than likely never would; but it wasn't that, that worried him, it was if she could or even would return his feelings and love him as a man and woman should. Again, he sighed rather despondently and then he too left.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Three males worked steadily together, PADD's, written journals and tricorders scattered around them on the currently inactive holodeck floor as they collated all the information. The larger and highest ranking male got up, opened the command panel and plugged in the data chip that they'd primed for this research programme. The data chip already housed all the long range scans that the ship had taken on their approach to the planet and now formed the bases on which to build the research program.

"Computer run new programme," the commanding officer said. Immediately the holodeck altered around them, thus they found themselves hanging in space above the blue-green jewel encircled by the soft white rings.

"COMMANDER!" snapped the Lieutenant.

"Sorry," he said, still standing by the open panel.

"That was a bit disconcerting," noted the Ensign.

"You're telling **me**!" snapped the Lieutenant, glaring at the tattooed male.

"Looks a bit like Saturn, from this angle; Except for the size and colour of the planet."

"You're right about that, Sir," noted the Asian male with a smile as he gazed at the planet.

"I thought we came to work?" snapped Lieutenant Alan Sims. The other two looked suitably chastened and settled down to adding all the data into the new programme. They took all of the morning and went on into the late afternoon; thus Chell provided them with his version of a light lunch – 'to keep their strength up' he'd said.

"Come back Neelix. All is forgiven," commented the Ensign softly, after the Bolian male had departed. His Commanding officer grinned, but Lt. Sims only scowled, before returning his attention back to the data and the research programme.

By early evening they had finally completed their assigned task.

"Well that's that done," Sims noted, dusting down his uniform having got up from the blank floor. "I'll leave the coding and saving to you, Commander," he said and then took his leave, without waiting to be dismissed.

"Anyone would think we'd added to his woes," noted the Ensign, looking at the closed doors.

"Maybe we have, Harry," the tattooed man acknowledged quietly.

"Then why be in charge of the archives, if you don't like that branch of the sciences?" puzzled by the Lieutenant's snappy and abrasive nature.

"Alan Sims is an office man, Harry. Everything in its place and a place for everything, so anything new upsets his neat filing system," he informed grinning softly.

"And **you** upset it for him!" The other's smile was very telling. Harry Kim smiled in response, gathered up the PADD's and written journals – except for the Commander's own - saying he'd return them to their owners in the morning; he said goodnight and left also.

With the holodeck currently on stand-by it looked empty. He activated the computer control panel and selected the time index he required from the new program. He was just finishing when the main holodeck doors opened and admitted the female Captain.

"Chakotay?" she said quietly, as he closed the panel and then led her to the centre of the area, stood her in front of him and turned her round.

The next thing she was aware of – besides feeling him against her back, his hands on her waist – was hovering in the air above a massive waterfall in which three bright rainbows arched through the sunlit airborne water spray. She tried to speak but her voice was drowned out by the roar of the falling water. White knuckled hands clung onto his arms as she sat dingily onto the seat of the hover bike situated between her legs, whilst his strong arms held the hover bike handle controls and her securely caged in front of him. They watched the play of light in the fast moving water hovering close to the top edge of the falls, but not close enough to get drowned or wetted by the spray. Slowly the bike lifted taking her up into the summer blue sky, revealing the full extent of the Triple Tempest Falls. Up to four major rivers flowed across the high plateau, before they all tumbled over the precipice of the double three shaped falls and the huge deep lake at its base, where it then flowed to the nearest coastline and the sea, at a more sedate pace.

Carefully her male companion/pilot turned to follow the Mirror River at tree top level and then descended slowly down to the camp area of six tepees. Kathryn was grateful for the silence as her ears were still ringing with the sound of the mighty waterfall. He helped her to dismount the grounded hover bike.

"That was quite a sight," she murmured, smiling at him. "You could have asked the computer to turn down the volume of sound though," she teased, extracting her hand from his and gazing around her.

"And lessen its impact?" he teased in return, hiding his inner pain and disappointment at her actions as he propped up the bike.

"You stayed in one of these tents?" she asked, still gazing about rather than look at him, feeling a little defensive now they were back on Voyager and en-route to the Alpha Quadrant. He called her name and held out his hand as an invite; she failed to respond and took the wrong route, thus he had to catch her arm. She glared at him.

"I **don't** bite, Kathryn," he said his tone hard. "Sorry. Alan Sims isn't the easiest of people to work with," he said.

"And you've had his company **all** day," she noted kindly. "It is **me** who should apologise, Chakotay," she said, then took some deep steadying breaths to calm her taunt nerves and relax her defensives; after all this was her friend, not a total stranger. Kathryn Janeway visibly relaxed as he waited; when she opened her blue eyes they smiled and she placed her hand in his. He gently led her to the pole ring.

Her first reaction was one of disappointment, although she wasn't quite sure what to expect, but as she stood at the rings entrance and the sun shone down on the naked wood coloured poles the magic of the place filled her with awe.

"How were these made?" she asked stepping into the sunlight.

"The central pole was carved into a living tree. The seven smaller poles were put up, having been carved lying horizontally on a trestle arrangement," he informed her as he guided her round. On seeing the little carving on the back of the wolf head, she gasped. Chakotay looked at her sharply reading her open expression and then looked up at the lizard and then back at Janeway and he understood, but said nothing.

"When were these poles carved?" she asked moving round with him, her hand still in his as he led her to the log ring and they sat down together; yet the closeness they'd shared briefly on the real Tlalli-Erde was missing somehow and that saddened him. He had thought to tell her about what the Doctor had suggested about Seven but now he held his tongue and just answered her questions about the pole ring. The sun slowly moved across the sky lengthening the shadows around them as he spoke about the 'Pearls of Wisdom' on the smaller poles and what they meant. It surprised her that they could be tied into Voyager's situation and their journey through the Delta Quadrant, including how the heads of the totem linked with the main bridge crew; Olmec – Vulcan, the Aztec eagle – Voyager and Tom Paris, the Mayan Panther – their journey, The Wolf – himself and the Hart – Captain Janeway. Although when she asked, whether it was him or her, he said:

"Probably both, I suppose," he acknowledged quietly. Soon after the moon-white rings had appeared in the night soft sky she had left the holodeck and him alone.

TBC-


	10. Epilogue

Disclaimer the usual see chapter one.

**Epilogue**

After she had left he continued to sit in the growing darkness alone, trying to sort out how he felt. All the time they'd been discussing the poles in the ring, one of the Pearl's of Wisdom had kept running through his mind; _'What needed can be found – if one seeks not what desired.'_ It was the only saying he had yet to fully understand. Chakotay now realised his love for Kathryn wasn't being returned in equal measure to that in which he gave it; for although he had physically sat close to the woman he loved most, she was more distant from him than when they'd first met, perhaps more so. Kathryn was untouchable from his standpoint more so and especially since their return from New Earth.

He had hoped that being alone together on that planet from which there had been no escape – until Voyager had returned with the cure – that she would open up to him. Although she had relaxed around him after the storm that had destroyed her equipment, she had not really recipucated to him as fully as he had to her. His heart cried for what might have been, his patience all but gone in waiting for her to give him some sign that she loved him even in a small way.

The moon-white rings continued their steady trek across the night velvet sky. A voice spoke:

//You are the bridge maker// it softly whispered in his mind. //You are and always will be her friend// it added, as his tears softly trickled unseen down his cheeks. _'Was that all that was needed?'_ he thought to himself, feeling two pairs of eyes assess him from the night shadows.

The yellow pair moved towards him the silvery light revealing her thick white winter coat. The second brown pair of eyes quietly stepped from the shadows to reveal his splendid white hide and his antler crowned head.

"Can friendship be enough?" Chakotay asked softly.

//Only you can answer that, my Friend// she softly told him, her white muzzle resting on his leg. The Hart snorted, but it wasn't in anger or fear, just quiet acceptance of his presence. //You are a true friend; especially to her// the voice of his spirit guide said. //You have been trying to seek fulfilment of your desires with her//

"Have I been looking in the wrong place or at the wrong time?"

//Are you asking or telling, My Friend// she teased gently. He smiled at her tone, grateful for her continued presence and guidance in his life.

He continued to sit there softly playing with her ears, knowing there were no quick answers to his problems with one Captain Kathryn Janeway and his troubled aching heart. //Seven years you have waited; how much long will your patience last, before it turns to anger?//

"I don't know," feeling defensive, looking up at the stag standing a little apart. "Hunter and prey. Together, but never tied," he said paraphrasing the saying from the Pedtra.

//You have peace, keep what you have or lose it again// she softly told him as he stood and surveyed the scene once more. The two animals faded, but he was not surprised for he not included them in the new research programme.

"Computer save and end programme. Command code, WH two theta three." The holodeck reverted to its inactive state.

#Programme saved and stored. Data chip ejected.# Chakotay went to the command panel and retrieved the data chip and then left the holodeck.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Wolf - Hart**

_Hunter and Prey that winter protects._

_Together - yet knot, Entwined - but not tied,_

_Free flying and always together._

The End.


End file.
